The Serpent's Curse
by InuOtaku
Summary: For centuries, a contract with the afterlife has allowed Sesshoumaru's family to wield the swords of resurrection. When that contract is broken, Sesshoumaru is faced with a decaying realm, allies turned to enemies, and a looming change in destiny.
1. The Charm of Insanity

**All right. Here we go for one last round! Now for the usual disclaimers:**

If you loathe OCs, this is not the fic for you. This fic is being written for two purposes: **1)** as a writing exercise for me. I am in the pre-writing stages of my own original work, and I want to get myself back into the habit of writing mass amounts in one sitting. **2)** I mentioned at the end of War's Shadow that I would probably write a sequel. This is it, which means this story is the 3rd in a series, so if you start with this, you'll likely be completely lost.

I basically accumulated a lot of the feedback I got from reviews and messages and constructed this story based on that. Because of that, this story is essentially a dogfight (no pun intended) between Sesshoumaru and Kanaye … with several subplots that continue from the last story, as well as a new one that's been playing through my mind for a while. If you've already read the other 2 stories, you're set for this one. The only new character I'm adding is a demon named Kuroshi. Everyone else has been at least mentioned in one/both of the other two stories. And if you see a scene that you suggested in a review or e-mail, you're probably the reason I added it. Actually, the scene between Furu and Kanaye in this first chapter came about directly because a few people mentioned wanting to see that.

I am still in college and ridiculously busy (though I'm currently free until mid-January). I cannot guess at an update schedule or the length of the chapters. Both will probably vary but, again, anyone who's gone through my other stories with me probably knows how I am … the chapters tend to get longer and longer and loooonnnngerrrr as I go along.

Beware the language. It's going to be worse in this one, hence the rating. This is most especially an issue with Kanaye. Obscenities, violence, and perversion are usually pretty rampant with him. I intend to make him worse in this one, so consider yourself warned. :)

For those that need a quick reminder of the OCs or for new readers:

**Kanaye** – Sesshoumaru's short-tempered, foul-mouthed uncle

**Sashe** – Kanaye's oldest daughter, "engaged" to Furu

**Shinya** – Kanaye's youngest daughter

**Furu** – the southern lord, a bear demon

**Zadi** – a long-lived human woman who has spiritual abilities

**Lien** – Kanaye's ex-wife

**Ashitera** – a hanyou girl who lives with Sesshoumaru and Rin. Sesshoumaru destroyed her family in War's Shadow.

**Aite** – one of Kouga's wolves and Rin's guardian.

* * *

_The Serpent's Curse_

**1 – The Charm of Insanity**

The water had layers; silvery and split by translucent fins as fish skimmed insects for their dinner. Further, it grew deeper and deeper still; azure … cobalt … as though in competition with the sky, but there was something else flashing periodically in the depths, and Sesshoumaru moved closer, small hands pressed to his knees as he waited for it to happen again.

He felt like he was discovering something important, as though he was looking at the other side of a mirror. But at that, he instantly scoffed at himself. He wasn't like the other children with their stupid imaginary games. What was the point in those, anyway? They flitted about with their blunt toy swords and took turns as the taiyoukai. It was all nonsense, and nothing he was interested in. What he was seeing now was _real_, and so he focused his attention intently.

Maybe he'd get a chance to exterminate it, whatever it was. If it was skulking about like that, it probably shouldn't be there. There was no youki, though, no sign that it was anything dangerous, and he worried that perhaps he was spending so much time waiting for the emergence of something disappointingly mundane, like an eel or some fish.

But there it was again, a flash of silvery-blue, like a pair of eyes blinking, this time even closer to the surface. He flexed the short claws on his fingers and edged closer, sure that he was about to defeat some dangerous, human-gnawing youkai …

… and then the wind changed, suddenly blowing harsher in the opposite direction and smelling of rain. Something reached out to touch his shoulder and he whirled, unprepared to find someone standing just behind him. Claiming dignity over a pounding heart, Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, fixing his expression in an icy stare.

"Who are you?" he demanded, eyeing the man who'd had the nerve to touch him and, even worse, apparently sneak up on him. It was a youkai, clearly, judging from the tipped ears, one clothed in a menagerie of expensive robes, layers of silver and blue, just like the water and just like the rest of him. Pale skin, gray eyes, and hair the color of the sea. He had a faint air of incandescence about him, and Sesshoumaru wondered if that explained the lack of youki.

"I wonder," the man murmured in a gentle voice. A small smile crossed his lips.

"Kappa," Sesshoumaru whispered. "Kawako." And indeed he felt certain that he was correct in labeling him that.

"Kawako?" the man repeated and laughed. "Is that what you will call me then? It always seems to change, but it fits in some ways, I suppose."

Sesshoumaru frowned, young face creased in consternation as he tried to decide whether this youkai was laughing _at_ him. Unforgivable, if so. He pointed an authoritative claw at the intruder. "I asked you who you were. Answer me."

"Kawako will do if you like," the youkai replied, unmoved by Sesshoumaru's irritation. "Forgive me for startling you. I thought for a moment that you were Inutaisho, and by the time I arrived I remembered that he was an adult the last time I saw him. Time is strange for me, and so I tend to forget these things." He tilted his head, smiling happily. "Inutaisho has a beautiful son."

The rain smell increased and Sesshoumaru felt the clouds begin to gather, casting shadow as he tried to think of the best way to handle this situation. Apparently, this youkai knew his father, but that did not necessarily mean friendship. He could be a silver-tongued enemy, feigning that affectionate tone. Sesshoumaru already thoroughly disliked him for the "beautiful" remark. He would not underestimate him.

"Where is your father now?"

Sesshoumaru found his mouth moving before he had given it permission. "He's settling something with Kanaye-oji-san."

"Ah. Scary."

_And he didn't want me to see_, Sesshoumaru sullenly added the thought. It had been such a disappointment when his father had denied him permission to watch. He did not have a clear idea of exactly what Kanaye had done, just that it was something to do with the humans. But who cared? Humans were a pestilence.

Kawako looked out over the pond, which was now undulating in the gathering wind, small waves that rippled across the surface like unfolding silk. Sesshoumaru eyed him and found that with each passing moment, he was becoming less suspicious of this odd youkai. Something, some deep instinct said that he knew this man, that if he waited long enough he'd be able to remember his identity, his purpose, without it even having to be revealed by words.

As if reading his mind, Kawako glanced down at him, moving a step closer. "I belong to you."

Sesshoumaru blinked. "What?"

"I belong to your family. Or perhaps they belong to me. It's all so old and intertwined by now, I don't remember which way it's supposed to be." He reached out a pale hand, fingers lightly grazing Sesshoumaru's face. "But it doesn't matter. I prefer to be subservient."

Sesshoumaru took a quick step backward, blood surging in annoyance. It was the _second_ time that fool had touched him. Had he no sense of self-preservation?

"You are a frustrated young boy," Kawako murmured sympathetically. "Caged, chained by your father's rules, his beliefs. They are nothing like yours, but perhaps he will teach you to grow into them. Kindness is a priceless virtue."

"And if I don't?" Sesshoumaru challenged. It was what he had always wanted to say back to his father, but had yet to summon the nerve.

"I will love you the same."

"Creepy bastard."

Another laugh, a sweeping sound that filled the clearing as thick droplets of rain began splattering against the ground, pelting Sesshoumaru's face and making him even more disagreeable. Kawako's face became gentle once more, indulgent, as though gazing down on a favorite nephew.

"One day you will understand exactly how tightly you and I are bound."

"Kuroshi."

Sesshoumaru turned at the sound of this voice, more familiar than even his own, and found Inutaisho watching them with an inscrutable expression. The faint signs of a recent battle lingered, but his father seemed very relaxed, encapsulated in his usual authoritative calm.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at Kawako. "Kuroshi?"

The youkai smiled again. "I told you that it tends to change. That is what I am called most frequently. But whatever you name me---"

The rain came down full bore then, an unnatural deluge that soaked skin and bone, and made Sesshoumaru lose sight of both his father and Kuroshi. A roaring gray curtain separated them as lightning split the sky overhead. The rain began to take on some sort of metallic sheen, unnaturally shiny, reflecting …

_It's ending soon, Sesshoumaru._

"Sesshoumaru?"

He blinked and found himself standing at the doorway to his home, watching as an early summer thunderstorm drenched the earth. The surrounding grounds were already drowned in pools of standing water. His hand was tightly clenched, a quick glance revealing fingers wrapped around Tenseiga in a deathgrip.

"It's going to end soon, Sesshoumaru. Don't you think?"

Regaining his bearings, Sesshoumaru glanced to his left and saw Rin at his elbow, her own hands wrapped around the thin kimono she was wearing. The warmth of a fire was billowing outward from the main room, bringing with it the smells of charred wood and roasting fish.

"It's been so warm lately, but that fog rolled in and then the rain. It's getting colder."

"It will end soon," he agreed, turning away from the door and snapping Tenseiga back into its sheath. He felt as though he had just woken from a dream, and wondered why such an old memory had chosen to resurface so suddenly. It had been so real, he had completely forgotten himself ….

_Kuroshi. Are you why Tenseiga has been acting so oddly? _

"Are you feeling all right?"

A hand reached toward his face once more, but this one was small and cool and welcome. Rin smiled faintly. "You seem a little strange."

He gently caught her wrist and brought the hand down from his forehead. "The house is warm. That's all."

"I guess that's why you were looking for some fresh air?" She folded her arms together once more. "I'm just nervous. Everyone seems so sick right now. It's a little scary."

"It's a human illness. It won't touch me."

"Sometimes I forget," she laughed at herself.

Sesshoumaru watched silently as Rin moved to pull dinner from the fire. She then doused the flames, which sizzled in complaint until they finally gave way and extinguished themselves. Immediately the house became gratifyingly cooler.

He knew that Rin was tired of being trapped indoors. Spending so much time with him meant she had become accustomed to being outside frequently, and that had steadily turned into a preference. She was not like the average human woman, who shunned sunlight in the hopes of keeping their skin pale. Rin was perpetually bronze-skinned, dark hair sun-lightened, and he could not understand the human male's tendency to prefer their women sickly-white, like corpses that have yet to putrefy.

It could not be helped. Recently, the human towns seemed to have come under assault by some strange disease, and the mortality rate was astonishing. It was not something he was very concerned with beyond the need to keep Rin away from the stricken human villages, but Rin's concern, as usual, was aimed elsewhere.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go get her? It's early, but---"

"She's a hanyou. Her brother is a hanyou. Their demon blood will protect them. Kyouru has agreed to bring her back if anyone within the town shows signs of it."

Rin was quiet at that. Sesshoumaru knew she disliked having Ashitera out of the house at a time like this, but he had felt it was necessary. The girl had been difficult lately, moody and unhappy. Her interactions with Sesshoumaru had changed, from childish giddiness to melancholy, sullen looks and silence. He had gone from "'Tou-sama' to 'Sesshoumaru' to 'Tou-sama' and back again. She had asked to visit her brother for the summer, and he had not argued. Only Rin seemed oblivious to the cause of Ashitera's unhappiness, but Sesshoumaru recognized that internal struggle, had been waiting for it in fact. She was a smart girl. He had known it would not take her long ….

Outside, thunder roared and the rain poured down even harder, striking the roof until the sound was nearly deafening. His sight wandered once more to Tenseiga, which lay propped next to the door. Inanimate, silent; the magnetic pull was gone, but some sense of wrongness remained in the wake of that memory.

That voice had spoken words that were characteristically soft, but firm all the same. A plea, a demand. He had been quiet for so long. Why now?

But Sesshoumaru was pulled from his thoughts once more as Rin returned, exuding as always that magical ability to divert his attention. In a battle between the kappa and the tenshi, the angel would always win. Strange how he had come to prefer it that way.

* * *

After nearly three years, he had become conditioned to expect the assault in some form, physical or verbal, claw attacks, swords, fists, words. At each confrontation he had kept the calm he had been naturally gifted with and nothing productive had come of it; this time, before leaving home, he had armed himself for the apocalypse. 

Nature kept its silence, but Furu filled it by not even attempting to mask his presence. He stalked up the cracked stone stairway, which wended itself unevenly up the hillside, past the graveyard, Kanaye's collection of dead humans … _his trophies, and so many fresh ones; that bastard's been active recently_. The sides of the pathway were still overgrown, trees wended together, choking the life out of each other, and a cloudless blue sky had the gall to shine down on a place that seemed to crave shadow.

Furu's muscles were tensed, one hand clasped around the hilt of the weapon strapped to his back. At any moment, he expected it; that old dog would rain down on him from above in a storm of claws and startling profanity or he would appear at the top of the staircase, blocking the entrance to the crumbling fortress in full armor. Kanaye loved nothing more than the opportunity for a dramatic entrance.

The climb leveled out to find the massive wooden gates thrown slightly open in what was certainly a false welcome, and Furu's eyes darted from side to side, searching for movement. He entered the courtyard and found the house hovering silently in all its ancient, peeling glory, but what struck him as odd was the change in the grounds. That human woman, Zadi, had taken them over as her personal project and had transformed the courtyard into an oasis of small shade trees and blossoms and herbs … all of which now stood parched in the early summer sun, wilted and weed-strangled from neglect.

But Kanaye was near, he could smell him, and Furu unleashed his weapon, pulling it down from his back in an easy motion. He stalked around the corner of the house toward the back, waiting, prepared … or perhaps not.

He found Kanaye hovering over one of the dry flower beds, arms folded in the sleeves of a white sleeping robe, pale hair hanging loosely around his shoulders. The faint scent of blood lingered, as though it had not been completely scrubbed clean. The dog demon's face was oddly blank, and Furu took a moment to find words as he resheathed his weapon.

"Kanaye."

"Hmm?"

"Only an old woman prowls around the garden in a silk robe at this time of day. What the hell are you doing?"

Kanaye glanced up, registering no surprise at Furu's arrival. And then it came back, the evil glint that morphed liquid gold eyes to something malicious. The characteristic sneer returned as a clawed hand escaped a sleeve in order to gesture toward the plants. "I'm waiting for them to die."

"They're Zadi's plants."

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

Kanaye pulled one of the flowers from the soil, long roots dangling. "She's gone."

Furu eyed Kanaye warily. For nearly three years, Kanaye and Zadi had been waged in what Furu could only safely label as warfare and the general consensus was that the day would surely come when one of them would simply destroy the other. What was sickest about the entire affair was that, for the most part, the two of them seemed to revel in the utter dysfunction Kanaye refused to publically call a "relationship". "You smell like blood…"

Kanaye stared oddly at him for a moment and then, more frightening than anything, he laughed, a sound his vocal chords were rarely required to supply, and so it was a deep, evil sort of chuckle that sent unnerved birds fleeing to the skies. "I didn't kill her, you stupid bastard," he said roughly, then quickly cut off Furu's next question. "And it's not mine, either. Damn, you people are paranoid. And why am I even having to look at your face? Get lost."

"She's going to kick your ass when she comes back."

"I'm counting on it," came the silky reply.

Furu frowned. There was something written on the other demon's face, a sort of uncharacteristic weariness. Normally Kanaye took up much more physical space than his body required due to the combined intangibles of self-importance and psychosis, but now he seemed thinner, wilted just as the plants around him were. _You sad bastard. You miss her_, Furu thought.

"When's the last time you actually spoke to someone?"

Kanaye blinked. "Someone alive?"

"The kind that speaks back, yes."

There was silence as the question was given some thought. "That woman, I suppose. I ordered Zeshu off with her."

Furu cast another look around the garden and was certain that Zadi had not been there in quite a while, likely not since early winter judging by the state of things. His annoyance at Kanaye dwindled for a moment as he realized how utterly stifling this place was; the solitude was physically oppressive. He was quickly brought back from the moment of sympathy by Kanaye's usual charm.

"What the fuck do you want, Furu?"

Furu forced his expression to harden. "Since I actually made it through the front gate this time, I'm here to discuss something with you," Furu said coolly. He watched as Kanaye drew himself to his full height which, though normally impressive in relation to others, barely put him at chin level to a bear demon. Furu reminded himself that he was doing this for Sashe, that she wanted this done the right way, and that she had waited a long time … but now his opponent was lounging about in a bathrobe, weaponless save for a scathing tongue and an ego of enough size to crush even the most formidable of foes, and somehow that made the situation even more ridiculous.

Furu passed a hand over his eyes. "Kami, Kanaye, you look like a woman dressed like that."

"Want me to take it off, Furu-chan?"

"Don't even joke."

"Then get on with it, dammit."

"I need your blessing to take a mate," Furu said quickly, muscles automatically bracing as the words left his lips.

Long-fingered hands folded themselves into sleeves once more and Kanaye's head tilted at an angle that was reminiscent of a dog trying to better hear a sound. "Heh. Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Nice try, but you're not nearly pretty enough for me."

Furu closed his eyes in vexation, the fingers on his massive hands folding into fists. "I was talking about Sashe."

"You'd have a better shot with me," Kanaye smirked. "There's no way in hell I'm going to say yes to you. You realize that, right? I thought I'd made it clear each and every time you came fumbling up here with that lovesick, cow-eyed look on your face."

A flash of anger shot through Furu's veins, manifesting months of frustration by grabbing onto the collar of Kanaye's robe. The dog demon was hauled forward until they were nearly nose to nose, and Furu relied on immense self-restraint to keep from throttling the life out of the bastard. But he was stopped by the surprising realization that Kanaye, who always spoiled for a fight, was making no attempt at resistance. The older demon hung almost limply, hands at his sides, but that smirk was still plastered across his features.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you today," Furu said in a low, measured voice, "but I'll beat you into a bloody pulp before I leave this place without what I came for. She's waited long enough. I've tried to make this dignified, but you don't speak that language. All you know is violence, so I'm here to give you what you want." Furu released his hold on Kanaye, shoving him back a few steps before unsheathing his weapon once more.

"What I want?" Kanaye repeated coldly. The venomous smile widened. "You're too stupid to understand something like that. That's why this has dragged out for so long."

"You've been waiting for me to come kill you?" Furu spat back. He brought the arched blade up until it was aimed at face level. "Well, then enjoy. You're making her miserable, and I'm putting a stop to it. She belongs to me now. You're nothing more than a formality."

Kanaye heaved a weary sigh, as though speaking to someone who was too simple-minded to understand verbal language. "It's about damned time. Seven hells, man, how long were you going to put up with my shit?"

Furu blinked. "Huh?"

"Since she was old enough to catch the eye of other men, I've been killing off her suitors one by one, and do you know why, Furu-_sama_?" Kanaye asked, mockingly stretching the honorific.

"Because you're the sickest bastard I know."

"Beyond that," Kanaye brushed off the remark, "not a single one of them had the nerve to come to my face and tell me they were simply going to _take_ her. Do you think I want someone for Sashe that won't do that much? So," Kanaye went on, straightening the robe from where it had suffered abuse at Furu's hand, "let me give you a little advice as your new father-in-law … don't put up with me. If I cause a moment's distress to Sashe, I expect to see your ugly face again and it better be murderous. When you want something, just _take_ it, damn you, and if something is standing in your way, destroy it. No more of this flower-picking, nice-demon batshit you've been flinging around."

The weapon hit the dirt of its own accord. "You're insane," Furu murmured.

"I've been told it's charming."

"They lied to you."

"Heh, perhaps, but do you know what's funniest about all of this?" Kanaye asked conspiratorially.

"There's something funny about this?"

"Sashe was raised by her mother to be traditional, which is lovely in some respects, but obnoxious when you get down to the legalities. You've secured her father's permission, such as it is, but you are forgetting one vital fact."

"Which is?"

"I'm not the head of the family. You've got one more rung to climb."

Shrugging the weapon back onto his shoulders, Furu heaved a tired breath, feeling as though he was some kid who was constantly having a ball tossed out of his reach by a couple of bullies. "Sesshoumaru, huh? Then I'll pass back that way."

"He better make you work for it."

"Ah, and Sashe's planning on some sort of party before she leaves. You're invited, too, you know, now that I haven't had to murder you on your own doorstep."

"You speak as if that was a possibility."

Ignoring that, Furu moved to leave, but Kanaye called his name once more and he turned around again … only to have a heavy fist connect with his face. The crack of cartilage was audible and accompanied by a spattering arch of blood that soaked into Kanaye's pristine white robe. Furu staggered back a step at the unexpected hit, annoyed that it was suddenly painful to blink.

Kanaye sneered at him. "You really should know better than to lay a hand on me, moron. Now get out of my sight before I make Sashe a widow."


	2. Socializing the Dog

**2 – Socializing the Dog**

" … and so I thought that relocating might be a good idea, but there's so much bureaucracy involved in moving everything. I suggested settling and rebuilding closer to the western border, and you would _think_ I had ordered the staff and advisors to commit ritual suicide! For one thing, they said you would never allow it, but I simply replied, "Oh, don't be ridiculous! He's such a good boy, it's just his lack of social graces that make him seem so unreasonable." And do you know, I think they'd rather just stay here and wait for it to slide into the sea?" Namiko paused for breath and blinked in rapid succession. "Are you listening, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Barely," came the muttered reply. He was unsure how it had come to this at all. A funeral for a deceased youkai lord had somehow led to this inadvertent tea party with Isamu's eldest daughter playing the part of the vapid hostess. As Sesshoumaru studied her, he wondered if there was anything but whirling air between her ears, because when she spoke, that was all he seemed to hear. A blathering _whooshing_ sound that made absolutely anything fascinating in comparison. He had been studying a small line of ants that were busily dissecting a dead cricket, but then the woman had broken his study by her insistence that he listen to her prattling.

_Isamu, damn you …. _

Indeed he held the former eastern lord entirely accountable for this, and was nearly prepared to make another trek to the graveyard just for the satisfaction of digging the old man up. The death had been unexpected by everyone except Isamu, who had simply grown bored and decided he was going to spontaneously expire. But, of course, not before writing three farewell letters of utter nonsense.

One to Furu that had read quite simply: _"I am going now. You'll have to find a new Shogi partner. You'll likely still lose."_

One to Sesshoumaru that had been a few scrawled sentences of half-witted drabble: _"Outlive your father. And do something about that weevil infestation at the border. Although, I suppose that's not really your job, is it? And you're not the sort to honor a last wish, are you? I'm wasting my time, aren't I?" _

And then one to the eastern heir, Namiko, and Sesshoumaru could care less about what that had said. Likely more blathering or, worse, all of the mass accumulation of gossip and rumor Isamu had habitually collected over the many centuries of his life. Exhaling his frustration, Sesshoumaru glanced up once more at the babbling woman who had launched into a thorough critique of his grooming habits.

" … if you'd simply wear it like your father, don't you think? You really do look so young like that. Did you know Inutaisho always preferred me with my hair like this…?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes lifted to the bizarre hairstyle that was nothing less than a visual assault, layers upon layers of hair piled into some star-like pattern that sprouted from her head like a bejeweled shrub. _Father was unfailingly polite_, he judged silently, but she had already moved on.

" … and if he hadn't gone to China, I'd probably be your mother now. Isn't that funny?"

_You overestimate yourself._

"And if I had been, I'm sure you'd be more outgoing. You really don't speak very much. Are you shy?" A glance at Rin, who had been seated quietly to the side, nearly forgotten. "Is he shy?"

"Ah, not exactly," Rin began delicately, clearly feeling the growing tension that manifested itself to a palpable level whenever Sesshoumaru reached his limit of sociability.

"Your mother never spoke very much, either. Beautiful woman, absolutely lovely, but so quiet!"

_Ah, she spoke plenty when she was angry …_

"And do you know, once I borrowed a pair of her sandals when the straps on mine broke during a visit? I don't believe you had been born yet. She had impeccable taste. I think I may still have them somew---"

"Namiko …"

" … and I suppose this human girl could wear them? Though maybe not. She has such tiny feet! Are you fully grown, my dear …?

Sesshoumaru's fangs gritted together in consternation.

" … and I asked Father for a human once, but he refused. I could sit here for the entire day and tell you stories about Sesshoumaru … what was your name? Rin? Rin." Namiko paused for breath and launched in once more. "He was a favorite subject of study for my father. Sesshoumaru is quite charismatic in a dark, sullen sort of way, don't you think? I suppose that's why he has never lacked a trail of admirers; women, men, youkai, human, it really is astonishing ---"

"Don't say things that can be easily misunderstood!" Sesshoumaru growled.

"Though I suppose when you're that pretty, it can't be helped. He was often mistaken for a girl when he was a young child, you---"

The flat of a hand connected with the table, jarring Namiko out of her sentence. She blinked across the table at him, wide-eyed, and then smiled politely as though silently forgiving him the terrible manners he could not seem to correct.

"More tea, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He did not answer, simply got to his feet and left. Behind him, Rin gave a hasty farewell before slipping out of the room as well, likely still wearing that expression of pained acceptance, the sort one would plaster across their face when gracefully facing a slow death. The sounds of her steps fell in behind him, as did Namiko's shrill voice, which carried down the hallway like the braying of a mule. In order to preserve the woman's life … _because, after all, he felt certain he could not face another eastern funeral_ … Sesshoumaru's attention turned to the slitted windows that revealed a churning ocean and a late afternoon sky. Within moments, he was gratefully free of the ancient walls of Isamu's seaside fortress and stalking purposefully across the beach toward Ah-Un.

"You lasted so much longer than I thought you would," Rin praised, nearly jogging to keep up with him. "For a moment, I wondered if you were going to do something drastic …"

He supposed the desire to exit through the window would count as drastic, but dignity _always_ won out.

"That was ridiculous," he hissed, face darkening. "The only reason she is in that position is because Isamu was too indulgent, he could not hurt her feelings by passing over her for someone more suitable. His second daughter is far more competent, but now the east has fallen under the rule of a youkai woman who believes diplomatic relations are little more than dinner parties and shared fashion trends. I cannot possibly ally with her. She's unbearable."

"I'm surprised to hear the words "diplomatic relations" coming from you. You've changed quite a bit, haven't you? Maybe she'll do the same. She might grow into the title once she sees what's required."

"Doubtful," Sesshoumaru muttered.

The meeting with Namiko had brought back something that had slipped into the back of his mind and festered for the last several years, something that had been instigated by that woman, Kagome. In her era, youkai were basically extinct, and as more time passed, he wondered precisely how that would come about. Now, though, as he considered more and more the situation of youkai in Japan, he could see the way in which things were progressing, quite clearly in human favor. Their towns and cities were expanding and growing, their youkai extermination techniques were improving. In the meantime, youkai leadership was suffering. The days of the great lords seemed to be dwindling and he was watching it happen before his eyes. The east was dominated by a brainless female. The north was being held for a precocious nine-year-old hanyou. No heir seemed forthcoming for the west, and it was not something he was sure he could even allow. Then there was the south, which was stable for the moment at least.

"You look bothered," Rin said quietly.

"Things are changing. I don't like it."

When they reached Ah-Un he helped her up onto the double-headed dragon's back and then urged the beast into the air, turning them toward the west and the setting sun. The solitude of flight was good for clearing one's head, but Sesshoumaru's was full of too many things. Beyond the problem with his youkai counterparts, there was Tenseiga's odd behavior as of late. The sword seemed … it was difficult to put into words … unhappy? Could a sword be unhappy? It sounded ludicrous, but Sesshoumaru could think of no truer word to describe it. In any case, it was not broken, it did not need repair, and so Toutousai would be even more useless than usual.

If it did not stop soon, he would have to see Kuroshi, and that was something he wanted to avoid. The sword might very well be reflecting that man's melancholy, which meant that Sesshoumaru would have to visit him in order for it to stop. He resented that, especially since it reminded him yet again that Tenseiga, even _this_ Tenseiga, would never fully belong to him. Kuroshi knew that Sesshoumaru did not like to interact with him often, and so a careful distance was kept out of respect as well as a level of affection that made Sesshoumaru distinctly uncomfortable. Perhaps the gate guardian was sulking because it had been so long ….

His sight honed in on Rin, who was turned and leaning precariously over Ah-Un so that she could see the landscape roll beneath them. It was a habit of hers that he hated, a dangerous one that had developed in childhood and lingered despite his attempts to correct it. This time, though, he said nothing, and simply watched her. She was blocking his view of the distantly setting sun, which was throwing her into a mixture of fiery gold and shadow. The heavier funeral robes had been discarded in the day's heat and tossed over Ah-Un's back, leaving her arms and shoulders mostly bare. She had been interacting with Shinya more lately and had begun adopting his cousin's style of dress, which was a mixture of effeminate and combat-ready, an attempt to appease a set of over-bearing parents: the primly feminine Lien who insisted Shinya dress as a proper young lady, and the rough, war-mongering Kanaye, who was equally adamant that she was a youkai, not "some sickly, inbred princess". It was laughable in Rin's case, since she fought very little, but she found the clothes allowed her to move more freely and were more acceptable than those of a farm boy. In any case, the wardrobe changes had left Sesshoumaru with little complaints.

As though reading his mind, Rin turned, casting a smile in his direction. "Do you think we'll get to see the city soon? She's been working so hard." Her cheerfulness faltered for a moment as she reconsidered the idea. "Will they let me in?"

"I don't intend to ask permission," Sesshoumaru replied firmly. Truly, he was not sure he even wanted to see this disaster that had set the west into a mild uproar. It had been Shinya's idea, her project, and she had been painstakingly consumed with it for the past two years; a centralized youkai city, a conjoined effort between western demons that would rival the ever-expanding human settlements. Shinya had come to Sesshoumaru for permission to build it, and he had said no, mostly because he felt certain that no good could come of hundreds of youkai of varying species living and interacting within the same walls. Shinya was very young and astonishingly idealistic. She had also inherited her father's selective hearing. Despite Sesshoumaru's objections, she had continued with the project anyway.

What bothered him most about the city's construction was not the blatant disregard of his wishes so much as its location. Ayakami Plain. It was a place Sesshoumaru tended to avoid; he was not one to be superstitious, but history was carved too deeply into that land and Shinya was not old enough to understand what it meant to the western dog demons and to the west itself. She had been born in a time of relative peace, after the west had recovered itself through spilled blood and utter domination, unwavering effort and sheer will. She had only known the stability of unquestioned rule on the part of two western lords, Inutaisho and Sesshoumaru. He had considered reminding Shinya of her place by putting a stop to the city's construction, but he had held himself back. Something in him _wanted_ that land to be known for something other than the near extinction of his family and the west as a separate entity. For that reason, he had made the decision to simply ignore it. Whatever trouble arose would be Shinya's to clean up, and if it became a source of too much aggravation he would simply order the thing to be razed.

"She's very proud of it. The letters have been getting longer and longer, and she says she wants us to see it," Rin said, bringing his thoughts back to her. "I'm just not sure how the other demons will react."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "You don't know her very well. Those demons won't defy her will."

"What makes you say that?"

"The pretty exterior masks an evil you cannot fathom," he said with dry humor. "You have no idea. She is a vile, stubborn, short-tempered child coated in some sickeningly-sweet substance."

Rin's smile widened mischievously. "I guess that's why I get along with her so well. She sounds a lot like you."

* * *

Sesshoumaru's evening started out as a vast improvement over the day. A clear sky enveloped the night in velvety, star-pricked darkness and a satisfying silence; a warm, shared bath, and the invigorating smell of freshly-scrubbed human female improved it further. It was a relaxing way to end a day, and his banishment of Jaken to Ashitera's side only made it more enjoyable. But the restful moments of his life often experienced interference, mostly by individuals who were too stupid to understand that he did not care about them or their problems. This night he was forced to whole-heartedly resent that hell-damned bear demon and his equally damned invitation. 

Sesshoumaru's hair was still wet and clinging when he met Furu at the door, a look of death plastered across his features. Over the past few years, the southern lord had taken to lurking in the west about as much as his own realm, which meant that Sesshoumaru saw an intolerable amount of him.

Furu frowned when the door opened, bronze eyes narrowing in thought. "Do any of you western dogs get dressed anymore? You smell good, though."

"If you do not leave now, I will kill you."

Furu held up his massive hands in a manner that suggested submission to a higher power. "I'll make this quick then, your Highness. Let me have Sashe."

"Done. Now get out of my sight."

The smile was sly and triumphant. "I knew you'd be easier."

As he moved to slam the door in Furu's face, the bear demon's gigantic boot slid in next to the frame, prompting Sesshoumaru to briefly ponder the ramifications of shutting the door with enough force to remove the appendage. Waves of summer heat poured in from the outside, warming the room and making him all the more annoyed for it.

"You are uninvited. You are also a coward for avoiding the funeral, but somehow I think you know Namiko better than I do. The lack of a warning makes your arrival even more unwelcome, beyond the fact that my home is filling with the nauseating stench of _bear_."

"As opposed to wet dog?" Furu replied cheerfully, hands raising defensively when Tenseiga suddenly made its unsheathed appearance. "Kami! Calm down. I only wanted to say that Sashe's planning some sort of wedding ceremony. She wanted me to make sure you'd come."

The sword did not lower. "Youkai do not have wedding ceremonies."

"Chinese youkai apparently do. Her mother is pretty old-fashioned, you know."

Sesshoumaru became aware of an equally wet Rin pacing into the foyer behind him then. Furu bellowed a hello over Sesshoumaru's shoulder, and Rin gave a small, embarrassed wave.

"I really did interrupt something, didn't I?"

"I'm not coming."

"She wants you to come. Rin, too."

_Placating. Annoying._ "I don't care."

Furu's head tilted, studying the imperious youkai who continued to wield his sword as though his home was under siege. "Do you shrivel in sunlight or something?"

"Go to hell."

"What's the problem? Whatever it is, I'll fix it."

"The problem?" Sesshoumaru repeated coldly. "Beyond the fact that this bores me beyond my capacity for description? Sashe is annoying. You will do me the greatest of favors by moving her to the other side of Japan. This ridiculous ceremony means that her mother will be there and her father will be there. Have you ever seen them in the same room together?"

"No," Furu admitted.

"There is a _reason_ for that," Sesshoumaru hissed. "Kanaye will succumb to one of his fits of foul temper and he will spend the evening sulking and complaining and maiming things. Lien and Sashe will henpeck him until he explodes. And do you know what I will be doing?"

"Digging the grave?"

"I will be here, mocking you all for even making the attempt."

"There's a ceremony?"

This voice was lighter and more excited, and Sesshoumaru cast a look over his shoulder that said he had not expected the enemy army to come from _that_ direction.

Or for the two sides to ally against him.

"Yes, there will, Rin!" Furu called good-naturedly. "Sashe's overtaken one of Sesshoumaru's ungodly number of abandoned castles and is turning it into a lovely place for a gathering. And you won't be a surprise to anyone there, so no need to feel uncomfortable, right? I've heard you've been sealed up into this crypt for the past few months because of that plague that's been flitting through the human villages. This would be a nice, healthy means to escape for a while and interact with other living beings. As impressive a dog as he is, Sesshoumaru's not much of a conversationalist." Furu turned a sly look on Sesshoumaru, one that said he knew he was about to win the fight. "Of course, it might take some effort to get him to agree to it, since he prefers his hermit lifestyle, but it's nearly cruel for a young, pretty, self-sacrificing human girl to be tethered to such a creature." He nodded encouragingly at Rin. "I'd suggest crying. I'm betting that'll do it."

"I'd like to go," Rin confirmed, caught up in Furu's enthusiasm. "It'll be nice to get away from here for a little bit. I haven't been to a human village in months."

"I loathe you," Sesshoumaru hissed at Furu.

"Where is she holding it?" Rin chirped the inquiry.

"At Ayakami Plain, two weeks from tomorrow," Furu replied. "It's convenient for supplies what with that city sprouting up nearby."

"I'm not going there," Sesshoumaru said firmly.

"Why? Do you have an old girlfriend there or something?"

"Stop speaking to me so familiarly!" Sesshoumaru demanded.

Furu smiled placidly as he withdrew his foot from the threshhold, secure in his victory. "I'll see you in two weeks."

The door's slam cracked the frame and shook the wall, sending one of the extinguished oil lamps careening to the floor. Sesshoumaru took his time replacing Tenseiga in its sheath before turning to Rin, who appeared to all but shine with hope at the idea of being allowed to interact with others. He supposed that the funeral and Namiko hardly counted ….

He said nothing about the invitation, and she knew him well enough to keep her own silence, allowing him to bask in the quiet as he stalked back to his room, which was as overheated as he was. He pondered the idea of dressing more appropriately and spending the night wandering off his aggression, but Rin diverted his thoughts when she entered the room and seated herself near the mirror, working to remove the tangles from her damp hair. He could see his own reflection as well, pale and looming and wearing the scowl that never failed to pitch Jaken into a fit of groveling on all fours.

When Rin finished with her hair, she turned and gave him a sympathetic smile. "A lot has been asked of you today."

He said nothing.

"I know you'd rather not go, but something tells me it's less because of the people and more because of the place."

"They should have more respect for that place. It's not meant for a party. I will be surprised if Kanaye agrees to go."

Rin rose and crossed the room to him and he found his eyes focused on each movement of cloth against form, considering the idea that remaining with her for the night might be more of what he was looking for than a fit of wandering. He had long since admitted to himself that despite his careful upbringing he was still quite the primal creature. Aggressive moods often sparked violence with others; with Rin, however, they tended to morph into a far more satisfying outlet for pent up energy.

"Why wouldn't Kanaye go?" she asked quietly, standing close enough that every inhaled breath smelled wonderfully of her.

He took a moment to organize his words into as few sentences as possible. "Ayakami Plain is deeply ancestral. It is also where Eido slaughtered my father's family. It changed the west on a fundamental level."

Rin frowned. "But I thought your family lived here."

"They did, but at the time, the fortress at Ayakami was more easily defended by my grandfather's standards. He placed confidence in allies that betrayed him, and Eido was able to approach with no warning. My grandfather was exceedingly overconfident and that put the west under northern rule for nearly fifty years."

A soft hand suddenly wrapped itself in his, and he glanced down in surprise.

"If it bothers you that much, I can see why you wouldn't want to go."

"Don't misunderstand me," he said, her quieter tone having the unconscious effect of lowering his own voice. "That was well before I was born, so my emotions are not tied to it. However, it feels of death. I cannot explain it any better than that. And, there is something else," he said, feeling strange at voicing the admission. "Tenseiga is being summoned."

"Summoned?" Rin murmured.

He nodded, unclenching the hand she held. "Tenseiga does not resurrect precisely through its own will or mine, and it is one in a string of such resurrection swords in my family. That power is the result of a contract that was forged many centuries ago, an agreement between us and the guardian of the western gate."

"I don't understand …"

He lowered his eyes and found hers fixated on his face, brown pools of depthless sincerity, devotion, affection. Love. And for a moment, they reminded him eerily of someone else.

"The western gate is where humans in this region pass through to the afterlife after they have died. Its keeper is the creator of the soul gatherers and the one who granted us the power of revoking his will. Because of that, he has been inextricably tied to my family for nearly a thousand years," Sesshoumaru said quietly, allowing her to grasp the other hand as well. His own voice sounded odd to him, seized by a melancholy he barely recognized, and he wondered if that was what was prompting her sudden desire to cling to him. "His name is Kuroshi. And for whatever reason, he needs to see me."

* * *

It was unnatural, some sort of display that belonged in one of those traveling sideshows with the two-headed babies and the armless fire-breathers. It smelled of dust and youkai and oil and metal. Kanaye could not help but be suspicious as he took in the city that sprawled around him. He was not put off by the fact that it had grown to massive proportions in the two years since it had sprung from his youngest child's head or that it had been constructed underground, carved into a cavern that was lit artificially by torches and oil lamps. 

No, the part that made him ill at ease was the fact that there were hundreds of youkai in the vicinity; working and haggling and in the hour or so that he had been seated, feet propped up and sake in hand, he had not witnessed even a small amount of bloodshed. Not a single argument, no fist-fights, nothing. Hell, he hadn't even heard a curse word and it was starting to make him feel as though the Buddha himself was running the place. It was disappointing.

He downed another cup of sake, waited until his eyes began to burn, and then finally swallowed. "Where did you get this?" he barked at the establishment's proprietor, an ancient, reedy-looking youkai who looked as though the effort of bending over would snap him in two. Before getting his answer, Kanaye turned back to Shinya who was seated at the table as well, face propped up on hands, and smiling indulgently.

"This would burn a hole through human intestines."

"I'll send some home with you," she said.

"Excellent. It's like drinking lava."

"I was surprised to see you today," Shinya admitted. "You've never expressed an interest in coming before."

"That's because I have none," he admitted bluntly. "I'm not suitable for being around other people, and if I am here for very long, I am certain I will provoke something that will end with you not speaking to me for a year."

The smile widened. "It doesn't have to be that way," she said. "Besides, it doesn't matter. If you get out of hand, I will stop you."

"You're an overconfident puppy, aren't you? It almost makes me want to start something."

"Father."

"I said almost. Right now I'm more interested in seeing if I can actually get drunk off of … whatever this is." He cast a look at the smooth ceiling above his head and then glanced back at the girl across from him. It was eerie. The more he drank, the more she started to look like her mother. Delicate and sweet-looking, all honey-colored hair and the face of an angel … except for the part that was more like him, which was the astonishing capacity to summon a hell-rending storm of temper. Fortunately, she had much more restraint. "You realize it's only going to take one good earthquake to bring this place down, right?"

Shinya shook her head. "We accounted for that with the size and placement of the pillars. It would take a god to collapse this cavern."

The empty cup hit the table. "Then let me give it a try."

Sighing at that, Shinya placed a hand over his to keep him seated and then fixed him with a stern stare. "Why are you here, Papa?"

The challenge faded from his face along with the alcohol. "Why is it being held at Ayakami, Shinya?"

She sat back at that, arms folding together in a manner he was sure she used when dealing with the workers that had constructed this place. "Because Sashe wanted it there. She wanted neutral ground, someplace close to both you and mother."

"It's a fucking graveyard."

"It's more than that, and Sashe is trying to reclaim it for you. You have such bad memories from that time, you changed so much because of that place. She wants to give you something better to associate with it. It may be naïve of her, but her intentions are good."

"I'm not going."

"You _will_ go."

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"A stubborn, selfish, hateful man who is going to do the right thing for once. And not because you were bribed or dragged there or threatened with being cut off. You're going to do it because it is the right thing to do. You owe her this. You owe it to all of us," Shinya said vehemently, eyes flashing.

He poured another round of sake. The cup shattered within his fingers. Muttering a string of foreign oaths, he slung the liquid from his hand and promptly gulped a third of the bottle before his stomach threatened to erupt, either from resentment or the alcohol, he was not sure. The bottle settled itself back on the table with a resounding bang, and he met Shinya's pale green stare.

She relented first, her face softening into an expression that was impossibly young. "Please come. For me, for her, for anyone. I don't care, but just swear that you'll be there." He remained silent, and she continued, cajoling. "You also have to understand that anything Sashe and I have heard about Ayakami has come from other sources; from mother and from Inutaisho-oji-sama and Sesshoumaru. You won't speak of it, and because of that Sashe may not understand your feelings."

"There's no reason to talk about it. It's not some gigantic wound on my psyche like you lot make it out to be," he snapped. He then turned to the shop's proprietor and gestured rudely. "Old man! You have about ten seconds to get another bottle over here before your vital fluids become my final round of the day."

Two more bottles appeared almost before the sentence was finished, though it seemed the man was intent on waiting until they left before straying too near the remnants of the broken cup.

Kanaye could feel Shinya's eyes on him as he engulfed another half a bottle. He smacked it back onto the table, feeling as though his eyes and mouth had liquefied. He then bowed his head sarcastically in deference. "You win, my sweet girl. I always let you have your way, don't I? The privilege of the youngest. Enjoy it."

"You'll come?"

"What the fuck did I just say?"

Shinya smiled happily. "I love you."

"You have bad judgment." He looked around, eyes narrowed in consternation. "God dammit, it's hot in here!"

Another figure appeared at the table, this one carrying with it an aura of soothing calm … and a pitcher of water, along with a new cup. Kanaye's head lifted to eye the intruder, and the sneer that crossed his face was automatic.

"Ohhhh? What have we here? Did someone gnaw through your leash, Kuroshi?"

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Kanaye. You haven't changed at all," Kuroshi replied cheerfully in a voice that was soft, nearly melodic. He seated himself, poured a large quantity of water, and extended it to Kanaye. "I think it's time to trade bottles, my friend."

"I'm taking that shit home."

"Consider it done," Kuroshi agreed magnanimously.

As usual, the man was as pale as death. His long hair was tied back and, in the dim light, it appeared to be the color of lake water, unspoiled, pure and clean as his shining soul. Kanaye felt nauseous just sitting next to him.

"And to answer your question, no, I am still steadfastly _leashed_."

"Good. If you were free to roam around at will, Sesshoumaru wouldn't get an ounce of sleep. Have I ever told you just how creepy you are?"

"Repeatedly and in multiple languages," Kuroshi reminded, smiling faintly.

"Sesshoumaru's still not heading in that direction, so let me crush your hopes right now. He's sticking with this one particular woman. She's not bad-looking, even if she is a human. She has some nice---"

"Father," Shinya interrupted warningly.

"True. It's not like this guy would appreciate it anyway," Kanaye relented.

"I'm very familiar with Rin," Kuroshi said. "She is an exceptionally kind-hearted girl, and a good influence on Sesshoumaru."

"That is debatable," Kanaye sneered. "He's softened up into this … _thing_ … this contented _thing_ that I do not recognize. But I won't complain as long as he's still capable of wrecking me. Sesshoumaru's going to kill me some day and I like it that way. It's comforting."

Shinya blinked slowly at that and subtly nudged the sake bottles out of Kanaye's reach. "Zadi's a good stand-in if Sesshoumaru's busy," she said lightly.

Kanaye froze at that and stared blankly at Shinya as though seeing her for the first time … and then stretched a hand out for another of the bottles, emptying its remnants. His eyes swiveled toward Kuroshi and that eerie, encompassing calm he always exuded. "So how is it that you're here then?"

Kuroshi smiled benignly at the question. "Didn't Shinya tell you? I donated the site for the city. I'm grateful that she accepted. It was always so quiet here before, but now I almost feel like a person again, being allowed to interact with others." He lifted his robed arms, and in the vague light the faintest glowing outlines of manacles could be seen around his wrists. "It is within range of the gate, so I am allowed to come this far."

"It's a good thing you're still tied to that gate, Kuroshi, because it keeps mothers from having to lock their pretty little boys in the cellar."

"Father!" Shinya snapped, face reddening.

"Heh. Your moral outrage is amusing. One social deviant shouldn't out another, right?" Kanaye lifted the empty cup in a salute to Kuroshi. "But since you have such a fondness for western dogs, I'll warn you right here. Anything that strays my way gets bitten off. Got it? Excellent." His head turned toward the shop owner. "Whatever you have in stock, you might as well go ahead and bring it out, old man."

Shinya sighed and leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowing. "I'm going to have to find someone to carry you home, aren't I?"

* * *

_**Wow, this is the most I've written in one sitting in quite a while. Lots of fun! A few things before I get to comments, though. I feel bad for saying I'd only be adding one new character to this story in the last chapter … and then starting off this chapter with another OC. Namiko is meaningless, just a way for me to launch into this chapter since I was having a hard time finding a starting place. She won't make another appearance, but I did want to use her to show Sesshoumaru's dissatisfaction with how things are going for the demons. I should also add that this chapter is the last of the "light-hearted" ones for a while. It gets pretty ugly from here on. Just a friendly warning.**_

_**And also, before I get asked this, no Kuroshi, is not a child molester:) He just … likes men, and he's been very fond of Sesshoumaru for a long time, and so naturally Kanaye would suggest some pretty bad things.**_

_**Okay, on to comments!**_

**Grey Faerie32:** Thank you very much! Here it is … I'm kinda slow, still getting back into the swing of this. And I feel a little weird because I think my writing style has changed a bit.

**Ghost140:** Of course, I remember you! There was this small core of people that went through the other stories with me and I definitely remember them. :) Ugh, my intent is not to make this into an epic. I don't know how long this will be. It's plotted out, but things tend to get really long for whatever reason. Good luck with school!!

**Kitty-Lover66:** lol…thanks…well, this story should make you very happy then. He's going to be plastered all over it, since he's, essentially, the main villain. Sort of. Strangely, it's weird for me to think of him as a villain, even though he's not so nice …

**BurntBanana:** Heheh … I'll do my best to live up to that. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a little worried. This is like sinking into an old skin. I no longer have a good feel for pacing fanfics. It's really hard to tell if how I have this planned is too fast or too slow … but I guess I'll figure it out. :)

**Teela:** Hey, good to see you:D Sorry about that ugly day. My intent is to update at least one more time after this before school starts … which is January 16th. Hopefully I can meet that deadline. Once school starts, it's up in the air, but I always set a goal of never, no matter the circumstances, allowing a month to pass without an update. That goal keeps me motivated. As for what Kanaye did … I'm actually still deciding on that. I'm 97 percent sure I know what I'm going with and it is pretty godawful.

**Fluffy Nabs:** - jumps with you - I'm so glad to be doing this again. It really is so much fun. It's like taking a vacation! I bet you're enjoying your vacation, too. Man, classes are exhausting. Why can't they just give a fanfic-writing elective or something? Good luck with your classes!

**New Fan:** Hi! Zadi will make her return in a few chapters. I wanted to separate them at the beginning of this and because of the high tolerance level I gave her where Kanaye was concerned, it severely limited my options. As for whether he misses her ... I don't know…lol. Furu thinks he does. Kanaye's pretty easy to write, but he's kind of a mystery to me at times. A lot of the time, I'm not really sure what he's actually thinking and feeling, since what he says and what he does and what he thinks all go in opposite directions. :)

**Me:** Thank you! Wow, if you've re-read them a lot, you're probably ready for something new by now, since it's been forever since they were finished…lol. I can't re-read RP. It makes me cringe. I still owe about half of it a complete re-write. I re-read most of War's Shadow as prep for this one and man, that thing takes a long time to read. As for the "winsome psycho" … I feel like in War's Shadow I kind of glossed over how bad he was really meant to be, so this one's meant to correct that. I guess what I mean is I'm hoping to better show exactly why he has the reputation he has. Hopefully I'll do it right. :)

**Freakish Child/Silver Spell:** Yet another familiar face:D Honestly, I agree that the demon/ human dynamics are done a lot … unfortunately, I don't think Sashe and Furu are going to get much air time in this due to some … circumstances. If Kanaye misses her, I think it's more because of how they parted, which, if I'm sticking with what's in my head, was pretty sad. But she'll be back and I'll hopefully find a way to piece the mess back together. Lol! Wow, I hope you had fun with the Build-a-Bear. I've always wanted to do that, but haven't yet.

**Michie123:** Aww, thank you! It's not exactly that I have "more important" things to do … just more "necessary" things to do. I'd much rather be doing this than any of that real life stuff, but unfortunately, priorities have to be shuffled in a way that's sane. And don't worry about this being abandoned. I hate it when people do that and because of that, I pretty much do whatever I have to in order to keep going. There were times in War's Shadow where I literally sat myself down and made myself type and what came out was what got put up. Anything to move the story along! But I think it also helps to plot it out beforehand so I at least know where I'm trying to end up and some specific things that need to happen. I think a lot of times stories are abandoned because people lose track of where they were going. I'm really terrified of that, so I work a bunch of it out ahead of time and just wing the rest as I go.

**Breshcandra:** Hiya! Thank you so much! I'm worried that I'm not completely back in synch with them, though, which is why I started off slowly. Hopefully it'll feel more natural to me soon. Thanks for the comment!

**Sasori:** Yep, it's marked as a trilogy at this point. ) Heheh .. Kanaye and Furu have a weird relationship in my head. I can't decide if they like or hate each other, so I just decided on both. I think it's more a weird mixture of dislike and respect ... if that can even happen. How I've presented Kuroshi concerns me a little bit, since just reading for myself I get the vibe that he comes off as a pervert. Not exactly so, though…lol.

**Sandpit:** I'm thrilled to be here! This is so much fun, I'm not sure how I stayed away that long. Older Ashitera … she's not going to be quite so sweet in this one, but I figure a saccharine 9-year-old would be kind of weird. I think cranky Kanaye is the only Kanaye I know how to write, so I'm glad he seems okay … lol. And, yeah, Furu's meant to be a sweetie and a joker, for the most part. I wanted him that way to offset some of those bad attitudes from the other guys. Aha … Sesshoumaru's son. The thing about that is, he's not due for about another 2 years, so he won't make an appearance in this, I'm afraid. I really regret that epilogue in RP because it's caused a lot of confusion … but Miya would have been about 5 or so in that, and since this is set 3 years after War's Shadow, Miya would only be 3 now. I can barely keep the timeline straight in my own head. I feel kind of bad for the people reading these things. ;)

**Taishorin:** Thank you, thank you! This is looking like a fun 2007 for me, too. I feel really good about this story from the way I have it plotted out. I just hope I can write it properly. That's always the challenge, I suppose. Thanks for the encouragement!

**Midnight Lady:** Wow, that was quite an ego-stroking review…lol. Thanks very much! Ugh…my only problem is, the more I write Sesshoumaru and change him and tweak him a little bit here and there (kind of necessary for character development), the more I worry I'll either start writing him completely out of character or make him seem static. It's a tough balance, but one can only do their best, right:) I hope this one keeps you as entertained. As far as style and plot and feel, I kind of feel as though it's different from the others, so I worry it might be disappointing in some way. But since I finished War's Shadow a year and a half ago, my writing style has changed quite a bit. Still, my overall goal is to make this one better than the others in both story and writing. We'll see how it goes. :)


	3. The Gathering Storm

**3 – The Gathering Storm**

Daylight dawned gray and unseasonably cool; the sun sulked behind a wall of clouds that loomed overhead, casting everything into half-lit shadow while rain hovered in silent threat. Rin had at first attributed her solemnity to the shifting weather, but now as she tried to coax words out of an equally moody hanyou girl, she found it easier to identify the true source. As though sensing her wistful mood, Aite was hunkered at her feet, tail wrapped firmly around her ankles.

Ashitera stood outside her half-brother's small, battered home, carefully studying her slippered feet, only occasionally raising her eyes to Rin's face in order to nod or say something quickly. There was no interaction with the individual who had accompanied Rin; Sesshoumaru stood several paces away, turned in profile, steadfastly ignoring Jaken, who was behaving like a jilted lover reclaimed. To Rin, Sesshoumaru looked about as uncomfortable as she had ever seen him, not so much in facial expression as posture, which was stiff and already turned toward home.

Rin withheld the sigh that threatened as surely as the rain. She had been so looking forward to seeing Ashitera; it had been a month already since the girl had suddenly announced that she would be going to her brother's for the summer. Even in that short amount of time, she had grown. At only nine, she was threatening to outgrow Rin, tall for her age, and quickly leaving behind the childishness of her years. Rin knew her so well, enough to understand that the unhappiness that exuded from her was not due to some tantrum, she was not sulking. She was sad, her face fixed into the very grown-up expression of one who must endure something they would rather not. It broke Rin's heart, because she could not understand the change.

"And so, we'll be with Sashe for the next few days if you need us," Rin said gently. "Any time, day or night, just send Aite or Jaken. One or both of us will come. All right?"

"I'm not her messenger!" Jaken sniffed peevishly at being ordered about by Rin, who was not so far removed from his baby-sitting services herself in his mind.

Rin forced a wide smile and a cheerful reply. "No, Jaken-sama, but you are Sesshoumaru's, are you not?"

"Ah … well, not exactly. I suppose I fulfill that role occasionally, but I am actually his indispensable---"

"Thank you, Jaken-sama." Rin vaguely heard the toad splutter something in response, but she did not have the energy to soothe his fragile ego. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the stiff Ashitera, who made a faint motion of return. "Come home soon, okay?" She glanced back at Sesshoumaru then, and something constricted in her chest. "Sesshoumaru?"

That pale face turned just enough for him to eye the two of them with peripheral vision. Ashitera's eyes averted, and Sesshoumaru turned back around once more, silent. For a moment, Rin nearly considered forcing them to air the problem into the open then and there, but Kyouru emerged from his small home, smiling in a rather pained way. His eyes flickered from his young sister to the lurking youkai lord.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I'd like to talk to you ab---"

"It would be better for you if you didn't."

The response was frosty and clipped, and Kyouru wisely kept his silence. The lowly-spoken words spurred Ashitera into action, however; she murmured a good-bye to Rin and slipped back through the door, which closed with the screeching creak of unoiled hinges.

Heavy-hearted, Rin said a polite farewell to Kyouru and Jaken, the last of whom seemed fatally disappointed at being left behind by his master yet again. Effectively traded from one silent, moody taiyoukai to a silent, moody hanyou. Aite was not so easily ordered to stay, and it took several tries to get him to disengage from her side, but finally the wolf relented, whining unhappily. _Well, he's getting better about it, at least_, Rin thought silently, turning to give them all one last wave.

The dismal visit accomplished, Rin and Sesshoumaru returned to Ah-Un, but instead of mounting the beast, Rin simply grabbed its reins and turned it so that it would follow along. She walked for a long while, stewing in her thoughts as the trees began to thicken into wild forest, their leaves rustling in the growing wind.

"When will you tell me what it is?" she asked quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she followed his steps, which were paced evenly with hers. One of many concessions he'd had to make ….

"I will tell you whatever you want to know."

"What did you fight with her about? I've never seen her like this before," Rin sighed unhappily. "It's not improving at all."

"I have not fought with her about anything," Sesshoumaru answered honestly. "She simply chooses not to speak to me."

"Why?" Her eyes turned from the dewy grass to the stoic youkai, who was looking outward to the forest around them. He was a difficult being to interpret and she could not tell if he was angry or uncomfortable or …

"Sesshoumaru?"

"I warned you that this would happen some day," the voice was calm and reasonable. "It happened sooner than I had expected, but I am certain that is thanks in no small part to Kyouru." His eyes focused in on her then, golden and empty of anything readable. "Ashitera knows now. Whether it was from piecing her own memories together or from interaction with Kyouru, the fact remains. She understands what I did to the north. She will have to decide what to do about it and I won't encourage her either way."

"What are you saying?" Rin asked slowly.

"I will not see her again until she asks for me. You may continue to visit as much as you like."

Rin went silent once more as they walked. She could not understand where it had gone wrong. Just last fall, everything had been normal, perfect. She had somehow accumulated something that resembled a family in her stolid demon lord and his waspish retainer and the mischievous, sweet-natured hanyou child. But then, earlier in the winter, it had started. First with a few strange questions that appeared to come from nowhere. About Ashihei. About Elif. About the north. There was never a demand for particular details, but judging from Sesshoumaru's curt response to Kyouru, Rin could safely assume the source of the information. Over the winter months, Ashitera became sadder and quieter and reverted to calling Sesshoumaru by his given name once more. Rin had commented on the strangeness of that, but Sesshoumaru had dispassionately reminded her that he was _not_ Ashitera's father, that he only allowed her to use the title because it was something that had seemed comfortable for her. But then had come the other changes, the long, vacant stares that sometimes changed to melancholy or accusing. The avoidance, which Sesshoumaru had made an attempt at breaking up in the best way he knew how … through an increased training regimen.

And now, as she walked beside her silent companion, Rin remembered his words of three years earlier, back during a time when he had not been at all pleased at the thought of Ashitera coming to stay with them…

"_She will grow older, Rin, and as she does, the things she has seen will fall into place; they will make more sense. There will come a time when she understands who Ashihei was to her and that I removed him from her life. She will understand that I purposefully exterminated her family … You do not understand the heart of a youkai. It tends more toward the unforgiving. One day she may wish to avenge her family, as any self-respecting youkai would, even hanyou though she is, and how disgusting it would be to complicate her need for that by forming an unneeded attachment to me."_

She lurched to a stop then, feet halting almost without command. Her mind was full now of thoughts she did not want, and so she turned to the only person who could assuage or confirm the worries. "You were working so hard with her. All of the training, the attacks, the techniques. I thought it was odd to increase that so much so suddenly, to change the lessons, but…"

He stopped with her. "Rin."

"Now I see what I didn't before," she said softly, nodding almost to herself. "You've been training her to fight _you_."

Silence, and then what sounded like the admission of a criminal. "I know her weaknesses, Rin."

She blinked slowly at that. "What do you mean?"

Something shadowy passed over Sesshoumaru's face then, an expression Rin could not identify as one she had seen before and it felt as though ice was circulating through her veins.

"I have trained her from the moment she came into my household," Sesshoumaru explained. "This was for the role she would need to assume in the north one day, however…"

"However…?"

The face was aloof once more, the tone matter-of-fact. "I know all of her weaknesses," he repeated. "Every one. I know that she has an aversion to being struck in the face, and if I aim near her left ear, she will turn her neck, the same way she always turns no matter how I try to correct it. So many times I have told her to always, always absorb the hit to the face before exposing the neck, but she does not listen. It would be one swift blow, ended easily."

Rin's eyes began to burn. "That's horrible. Why are you thinking of it that way?"

"I _have_ to think of it that way," came the sober reply. "I have to consider what I would do to kill her, how I would attack her if she were to fight me. And then I have to correct what I can and give her options of how to counter what I cannot fix."

"You're training her to defeat you?"

"She cannot defeat me, now or a century from now," he said evenly. "Even if it were possible, I would not allow it. A western lord will never fall to a northerner again, not even her, and I am capable of doing whatever I have to do to prevent that. She may let this pass with time. I will hope that is so, but I do not know, and I will prepare her as if it is a certainty that she will not."

Rin's head hurt at the contradiction of what he was saying. She felt as though she would never belong in this world of youkai. No human man would have to look at a child living under his roof and consider such things, but Sesshoumaru was a different being altogether, Ashitera as well, and Rin felt that as much as she loved them, she would never truly understand them. Youkai pride and justice and motivation were just too different; there were so many absolutes. "Then why were you doing it at all? Why train her so hard for a fight she will not win?"

"Because I don't want an easy win. If it's going to happen, I want her to be able to put up a good fight," he said simply. "It's all I can offer her."

* * *

Kanaye had known he wouldn't get very close to the daimyou's fortress before encountering vermin; in truth, he had altered his course so that it would bring him closer to the walls of the massive city in the hopes that it would _increase_ the chances of a meeting. And he was not disappointed.

The fortress was tiered like a cake and nestled along a gently sloping hillside on the outskirts of Ayakami Plain. In the far distance, he could see the rooftop of the crumbling guard tower that was attached to his family's own fortress. It was an homage to his father's naiveté, his utter stupidity, meant to be within easy eyesight of this place.

So easy, and in the end, so useless.

The contingent of soldiers that met him along the road had chosen a very bad day, and an even worse place to confront him. Typically, Kanaye had no mercy for humans, and even less for the people of this particular city. However, despite the desire to plug his nose from their stench, they were not altogether unwelcome. He was in a strange mood even by his own standards, and as they arrayed themselves around him in a tight, well-trained formation, he found his fingers automatically flexing themselves in readiness.

"Halt, youkai!" came the booming, authoritative voice of the army commander who was seated atop a restless black mare. The man peered out at Kanaye from behind a heavy helmet that was slitted enough to allow him to see what was directly ahead of him.

_Oh, yes. That will improve your chances. Disrupt your line of vision, you scum-sucking piece of---_

"I told you to halt, youkai!"

A menagerie of spears and swords swung around in impressive unison, aimed directly at Kanaye, who kept walking as though they were speaking to the demon just behind him. His mood was foul, and growing fouler with every step, every inhaled breath that reeked of rampant decay and stupidity. He hated being there, he loathed being there at all, and these whore-born wretches were just making it even more of a task.

His eyes traveled beyond the lock-step ranks, to the empty plain that stretched out beyond the walls, open and green, lush with health. Yes, a true natural wonder … until one noticed the point where grass was replaced by scarred wasteland. It had been _consumed_, a plot of land that was sizeable enough to hold a hundred separate rice fields, ruined, scoured to bedrock. Even after all this time ….

"Do you not hear me?" the human leader called to him once more.

This time Kanaye aimed a poisonous stare at the man, and he decided that these creatures were no longer supposed to be there. They were existing in a time that no longer belonged to them, inhaling air that was wasted on them. A thin smile crossed his lips as he playfully fell into Zadi's native language, as easily picked up as all the others he had accumulated, then called his own reply. "I don't speak your language, corpse."

"What did he say?" the commander asked in an uncertain voice, but the men only exchanged looks with each other.

"I told you to kneel before your master. If you do, I might spare you. You have a countdown from five." This time a Mongol dialect. _Oh, you bastards don't have a prayer …._

"Does _anyone_ know what he's saying?" came the frustrated query.

"Khamsa," Kanaye purred, vacant smile becoming more unfriendly.

"Eh?"

"Catvaras."

The commander was completely turned in his saddle now, searching his own ranks. "Is anyone getting this?"

"San." _Closer to home, mongrels_.

"I … I think … is he counting? Maybe he's Chinese …?"

"Duo." Kanaye's hand poised near the hilt of the sword that rested against his thigh.

"Does anyone here speak fluent Chinese?"

"That last wasn't Chi---"

"Ichi." An icy whisper in their native tongue.

The sword was unsheathed and splattering blood and insides against the fortress walls as soon as the last number left his lips. Steel glinted dully in wan daylight as the few that did not flee made an unproductive stand. Within moments, their remains littered the ground, which became soft and spongy under the deluge of fluids.

It was over quickly. Kanaye paused to wipe his sword clean on the decorative sash that hung from the commander's corpse. Above his head, he could hear shouts from the fortress's battlements, the creak of bows being strung, and the sound of a strident Japanese voice giving his own countdown to fire.

"Gomen nasaiiiii!" Kanaye called to the archers in carefully enunciated Japanese. "I'd stay to help clean up the mess, but I promised I'd be somewhere, and I hate being called a liar."

* * *

Despite the obvious attempt to clean up the abandoned fortress, it did not give off an aura of welcome. Hundreds of years later, the walls remained in shattered piles, their once broken edges smoothed over by the passage of time and the elements. The living quarters of the house had seen the most improvement, showing signs of patching and some heavy beamwork that could only have been done so quickly by Furu's people. But no amount of reconstruction work could help the grounds, which were still utterly decimated. Nothing would grow; Ayakami Plain looked like it had been splashed by scalding oil. Fresh and vibrant on one side, burned and peeling on the other.

As Sesshoumaru followed Rin inside, his eyes lingered on that wasted landscape and he could hear his father's voice in his ears.

"_It was unlike anything you've ever seen, Sesshoumaru. For one night, hell opened its jaws and swallowed this place. It taught me several things, one of the most important being that a taiyoukai needs to be strong, but part of that strength is knowing when to stop, when to show restraint. When to dispense mercy."_

And then his arm was tugged and he turned to find Sashe babbling something in his face, her mother close on her heels. They spoke so quickly, right on top of each other, that he assumed he was not supposed to answer at all. He remained quiet, though he could feel his face form a disapproving expression when Lien grasped Rin by the chin and examined her as though she was some new species of insect.

"My, you really _are_ human, aren't you?" She looked up at Sesshoumaru wonderingly, pale eyes wide. "I thought it had been exaggerated. Somehow I believed you had gotten yourself involved with a hanyou, but…" Then she looked at Rin once more, almost hopeful. "Is there _any_ demon blood in your family?"

"Ah, no …," Rin began hesitantly.

Sesshoumaru glanced sideways at Rin, face stony. "Have you had enough yet?"

"Of course she hasn't!" Lien answered for her, patting Rin patronizingly on one cheek as she wagged a finger at Sesshoumaru. "Honestly, you _are_ my sister's child, aren't you? So sensitive! And heavens, Sesshoumaru, peel that scowl off of your face for once. This is a happy occasion and you look as though you are being led to the slaughter."

"I see little difference."

"What a terrible thing to say!"

"It gets worse. I am here only because _she_ wishes to be here," he said in a low voice, indicating Rin. "She was misled to believe that this foolishness will be anything like a friendly family gathering. As far as I am concerned, you are a source of entertainment for her. Keep that in mind."

He assumed he must have said something Rin found distressing, because her mouth dropped open in abject horror, and she turned an apologetic look on Lien, only to find the woman smiling indulgently.

"Yes, of course, I understand." She exhaled a sigh then, shaking her head at Sesshoumaru's impertinence. "You have become a difficult man, haven't you? Thankfully, I've had some practice dealing with those."

At that, Sesshoumaru's eyes traveled across the wide room toward the distant window. A figure was seated on the inset of the low sill, attired as usual in a conglomeration of expensive cloth, leather, and armor constructed alternately from bone and metal. Darker-skinned than Sesshoumaru, a younger, crueler version of his father.

"She's subtle, isn't she?" Kanaye sneered.

At that Lien whirled and pointed a delicately-clawed finger once more, this time in the direction of her former mate. "You are underneath the roof of another, and so I expect your manners to adjust accordingly. Remove the armor, Kanaye. I know it will disappoint you to hear it, but there will be no fighting today."

"Turn that spite elsewhere, woman," he snapped. "I haven't even been here an hour and I've already reached my limit with you."

"Take it off." Lien insisted, undaunted. "You're not going to hover around the rest of us like some executioner waiting out the last meal!"

Kanaye's face emptied of expression at that. He rose to his feet, nearly bumping his head on the oddly-sloped ceiling. Without further rancor, he began to steadily peel things from his body. Shoulders, arms, and chest were quickly freed from the armor, and Lien's expression softened, looking as though she was about to thank him for his cooperation, but then her face slowly took on a look that was decidedly less pleased as she realized he was continuing. Long hair was loosed from the clasp that held it back. Boots were pulled from feet, arms tugged free of the black haori, then purposeful fingers headed toward the waist, but before he could remove any additional items, Sashe materialized and gripped his hands.

"That's enough."

"She doesn't like me with the armor. I was just assuming the one form she never complained about."

Sashe's face reddened. "Father, please … wear whatever you want. But I'm begging you … wear _something_."

* * *

The lifestyle at Ayakami, even as makeshift as it was, appeared quite different to Rin than what she was accustomed to. Due to Sesshoumaru's personal preferences, he did not keep servants … unless one counted Jaken … within his home. For that reason, she was taken aback when people she did not know appeared at her elbow to provide her with cups of warm tea, cups that disappeared almost as soon as she put them down. They moved silently, and evaporated nearly into thin air, and she had learned with one pointed glance of disapproval that she was not supposed to speak to them.

She could tell that the building itself was very old, and that it had not been built for aesthetic purposes. It was indeed a fortress meant to withstand siege, encapsulated by walls that were thicker than tree trunks. A brief tour with Shinya had allowed her to see where the place still bore the scars of its final battle, the one against Eido all those centuries earlier. And she could now understand what Sesshoumaru had meant when he'd tried to describe the aura of this place. It felt old, defeated, sad. The rooms were small, dark even with the aid of light, and the air was chilly, in defiance of the humid heat that smothered the outside. But there had been obvious attempts to brighten it; it was clean, with new mats on the floors, and new fabrics on the beds. Lamps sat in notched spaces within the walls, providing a warm glow that felt as though one was following a trail of fireflies. Strangely, and most likely due to the heavy amount of cooking that was occurring within its walls, the fortress smelled nice, something sweet she could not identify mixed with the scent of baking dough.

The most interesting aspect of the fortress, however, was the guard tower. Making her way to the top had been precarious; the wooden steps were old and rotting and she suspected that was what had provoked the sudden appearance of a certain dog demon at her back. The climb ended in a small area that was open to the sky, the center of which was set with five blackened metal urns that showed signs of having been used to house fire. But the view was what caught her attention most. The plain swept out for an astonishing distance, blackened and gutted in an irregular circle around the fortress, then green once more further on. She spied the battlements of another fortress in the distance, and turned to Sesshoumaru questioningly.

"That is the daimyou's castle," he explained without inflection.

"How strange that it is so close …"

"They built it there so that they could leech protection from us," he replied. "My grandfather was soft-hearted, and allowed it. It proved to be a disaster on many levels."

Rin was about to inquire exactly why that was, but Shinya redirected her attention to the distant lake that sprawled outward toward the horizon, gray and glistening. Lightning shot across the angry sky, a beautiful display … and one that prompted a heavy hand to propel her back inside.

And so the afternoon dwindled, coated by a deluge of summer rain, and she supposed that was where it all began to go wrong. Most of the individuals within the fortress were pleased to be there, Rin among them. Despite the initial odd greeting by Lien, she had found herself warmly welcomed and allowed to help with the preparations for the ceremony, which was set for the following evening. She was assured that she would be able to eat everything that was being prepared, no concerns over any ingredients that might disagree with human digestion. And due to past experience, she was grateful for that.

Lien even took the time to show her how to make a type of pastry she claimed to be Sesshoumaru's favorite as a child.

"He doesn't like sweets as a general rule. I'm sure you know," she said quite matter-of-factly, and Rin nodded. "However, you will find that these are an exception. He was a difficult boy, surprising as that may seem, and getting him to eat properly was a chore for his mother. The bean jam is tricky; I don't know the precise amount of ingredients. We can simply tell by scent when it is right, but I suppose that shall be your challenge …"

Indeed, Rin was very content, and so glad that Sesshoumaru had agreed to come, but not everyone shared her enthusiasm. The outside was laid siege by a summer storm of epic proportions, which had trapped two ill-tempered demons within the walls of a fortress they regarded as all but cursed. Sesshoumaru and Kanaye had been left to linger in the dark, creepy entry room, stationed near the door as though impatiently biding their time for a swift exit. Every once in a while, short snatches of rude conversation could be heard from the two demons, and Rin knew they were on the verge of alleviating their boredom through uncivilized means. For this reason, and likely in the hopes of avoiding some disastrous meltdown of temper, Lien diverted Rin and Shinya from their tasks and sent them into that room like soldiers into the enemy camp.

They were seated on opposite sides of the room, eyeing each other with vague dislike, like two dogs challenging each other to cross an invisible territorial line. Kanaye was near the window, one leg propped up against the sill, arms folded defiantly; Sesshoumaru was closer to the door, propped up against the wall, arms folded defiantly. The sentences were short at first, as the girls had a difficult time coaxing words out of them. That was when Rin hit on the one subject she thought to be safe. Unfortunately, she turned out to be quite wrong.

"Kanaye?" Rin spoke up from where she was seated on the floor. "Was Zadi unable to come?"

Immediately after the words left her lips, she felt a sense of growing unease. Kanaye had been behaving strangely all day, like a vicious animal caught in a hunter's trap, and so she had been careful to avoid speaking to him. She had assumed that being in this place was difficult for him, but part of her scoffed at that; from what she knew of him, Kanaye did not have the sort of feelings one would attribute to a normal individual, and so she was surprised when such an innocuous question set off an avalanche.

"I haven't seen her since the beginning of winter," he answered frostily. "I wouldn't know."

"What'd you do this time?" A sigh from Shinya.

Kanaye's head lifted to meet that challenge. A small smile appeared, thin and humorless. "Something completely unforgivable."

"Then are you sulking over a human?" Sesshoumaru asked derisively.

"Heh. Shall we discuss humans, Sesshoumaru? I'm not feeling particularly merciful today."

"What did you do, Father?"

The question was repeated, insistent, and Rin silently wished that someone would settle on another subject, because the room felt as though it had become colder … and much too confined.

"I told her that people often drown hanyou."

Outside, the rain became a separate entity, assaulting the ground with a fury that was nearly unnatural, striking the roof like rocks being hurled from the heavens. Rin felt nearly deafened by it, and because of that she thought she had heard Kanaye wrong. She glanced at Sesshoumaru's impassive profile, but his sight was locked in on Kanaye like a beast on prey.

"I also said that there is a reason there are so very few hanyou, despite the rampant play between youkai and the vermin. That is because hanyou are unnatural, freakish. Human women aren't built to carry them easily and so they are often stillborn or sickly or deformed or the cause of their mother's death. If they do survive birth, their youkai parents often choose to drown them like a litter of unwanted kittens. That is why th---"

"That's enough," Rin said firmly, head coming up at that. She had no idea what he was starting and why, but Shinya's face had whitened, and Sesshoumaru was radiating a disapproval that was nearly tangible.

"Oh, that's right," Kanaye said in a silky voice, eyes darkened to an angry copper. "You kept that little northern wretch, didn't you? It smells of traitor to me, Sesshoumaru, but you've always done whatever you pleased, haven't you?"

Sesshoumaru seemed to have come to a conclusion about something, because he stepped away from the wall, exuding evil satisfaction. "You have no room to speak, Kanaye. And just why would you be having such a heated conversation with a human woman over hanyou?"

Kanaye's smile and tone were bland. "No particular reason." Before Shinya could ask any further questions, he diverted the conversation. "Ah, and I forgot to tell you, Sesshoumaru. Kuroshi sends his fondest well wishes."

Rin looked to Sesshoumaru then, recalling this name, and she was surprised to see his posture stiffen into something more confrontational.

"Why did he come to see you?"

"He didn't, and that's the interesting part. He allowed Shinya to build that city near his gate. He hasn't changed much, just so you know. Still wallowing in that cave, still watching out for the human strays, and still trying to figure out a way to get his hands on your---"

Raging thunder shook the floor beneath their feet, but even that was not loud enough to cover Kanaye's words. Rin felt her face begin to burn, and Sesshoumaru glanced quickly at her before taking a step forward.

"If you cannot restrain your vulgarity, then leave," he said in a low, menacing voice. "You've had your warning, Kanaye."

"Indeed, it seems I have." Kanaye angled his neck so that he could see around the looming youkai lord to Rin. "Did you not know, Rin-chan?," the voice was sly and mocking. "Kuroshi's dream is to be astonishingly inappropriate with your Sesshoumaru. Can't have that, can we? Most especially since the west needs an heir soon, something to stand between it and that half-witted, mongrel brother of his. A full dog youkai. Not the sad, malformed creature you're capable of providing." Kanaye's attention swiveled back to Sesshoumaru, smirk plastered across his features. "There's precedent for first cousins, you know, and Shinya's available if you need the help---"

It was ended then. Rin almost missed it, it happened so fast. One moment they were speaking in those heated tones, and the next Sesshoumaru had grabbed Kanaye by the neck and propelled him out the door, which was slammed with a vehemence that matched the violence of the weather.

Rin's ears rang with the things she had heard, and she turned to Shinya, appall written across her face. "What's _wrong_ with him? I think that's the worst I've ever seen him."

Shinya's answering smile was small and sad. "It's this place. I think Sashe asked too much of him with this." She walked to the door and cracked it slightly, just enough to peek outside.

Rin came up behind her, afraid of what she would see, but all she found was a gray downpour and, further from the fortress, Sesshoumaru gripping Kanaye awkwardly by the throat, barking words into his face with an unleashed temper that was only barely masked by the rain. Both youkai seemed to be ignoring the fact that they were being soaked to the skin, so intent were they on their argument.

The girls watched for several moments until, finally, Shinya glanced thoughtfully at Rin. "You've turned him into a decent person."

Rin blinked at that. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes. He's learned when to be heavy-handed and when to be merciful. A few decades ago, that fight would not have been so controlled, but I think now he has the capacity to see this for what it is. This is not a place of rest for my father. It is a battlefield, even today." She paused, then added, "Please thank him for me later. He'll accept it graciously if it comes from you."

Rin's gaze turned back to Sesshoumaru, something in her coming to understand what Shinya was saying. There was no further violence; the fight was being dictated on Sesshoumaru's terms and he was keeping it from escalating, venting his anger through scalding words instead of fists or weapons. He had said that Sashe should have more respect for this place, and it seemed that was not a standard he felt himself to be above. She found herself murmuring a response to Shinya, unable to tear her eyes away. "It wasn't me. He was already merciful when I met him."

* * *

_**Okay, seriously, I have to end this here …lol. I'm only about halfway through with what I wanted to accomplish for this chapter, but it's already long enough and this feels like a good stopping point before I launch into the bad stuff. I think that's my brain's way of telling me I'm trying to go through it too quickly, anyway. It feels like a bit of a mess, but I've touched on most of the things I wanted to cover in this and so now I'll just try to weave it into something coherent. Heh … I'm optimistic. ;)**_

**_A quick explanation for something that may have seemed weird. It made sense to me, but it came out of my own head, so it'd be scary if it didn't. I've mentioned previously (mostly in War's Shadow) that Kanaye fluently speaks several different languages. It amused me to give him that talent, since he's so incapable of properly communicating with anyone. The scene where he was confusing the hell out of the daimyou's soldiers … those foreign words are numbers in other languages. ("Khamsa" is "Five" in Arabic, "Catvaras" is "Four" in Sanskrit, "San" is "Three" in Chinese/Japanese, "Duo" is "Two" in Latin, and "Ichi" is "One" in Japanese.) Basically, he was playing with his toy before breaking it. _**

_**So next chapter: Some ugliness to get the plot seriously rolling. I'm kind of worried about writing it, actually. I'm going to have to find a sufficiently mood-altering soundtrack, 'cause I'd hate to screw it up too badly.**_

**_On to comments:_**

**FluffyTail:** Thanks! I'm glad it seems interesting. :) Right now it feels like a gigantic mess, but I swear, everything's there for a reason … lol. As for "scary Shinya", that will be seen in the next chapter. And, yes, Sesshoumaru's definitely been having a bad time, but it's about to get much worse, I'm afraid. I don't think I've written a really good, pissed-off Sesshoumaru yet, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

**Midnight Lady:** Yes, I know what you mean! I shouldn't have done that RP epilogue. For one thing, I don't feel it's written very well and it ruins some things for later on. But I think part of that is my own failing … if a book or movie is ruined for me, I'll read it or watch it anyway, just to see how it got there. Apparently, I fic in the same way. Sorry. ;) As for Namiko, I'm pleased you liked her, but I don't think there's a way to fit her back in. I have too many characters right now. I need to weed it down to a manageable amount, most especially because Inuyasha's being tossed into the mix soon. But drama and angst are coming very soon, I can guarantee that much … lol.

**Ghost140:** Yes, I noticed! The alert system is really messed up right now! Pretty frustrating. And thank you, thank you very much. But, yes, the bad stuff will go down with the next update. I'm glad you like Zadi and Shinya. To be honest, and this is odd coming from someone who tosses dozens of OCs into the mix … they frustrate me. They are there for the purpose of pulling something else out of the cannon characters that I want to do, something I can't get from the characters that are already there, but after a while I resent writing them. Insane, but true. That's probably why I tend to dispose of them as soon as they've pulled out all of the reaction/emotion I want … lol. – loves the word 'smexy' –

**Sandpit:** Oh, thank you for that, but I've really got to narrow it down. :)War's Shadow had too many characters. It was hard to balance, so I'm going to be weeding this one down pretty soon. In any case, for this plot, I don't need all the extraneous characters, so they'd just be taking up space and slowing everything down if they stayed. The number of plot points scare me a bit, but in my head, they really do all intertwine … lol. The boys are quite whipped, as you said, but I hope Rin doesn't come across as beating down Sesshoumaru. She's supposed to be very peaceful for him. Though everything is subject to change!

**Freakish Child:** lol … well, Kanaye outed himself about a good bit of their argument in this one. ;) Sashe and Furu will be in the next chapter or two, that I can say. If they'll be in it again, beyond that, I'm not sure. When I plot something, it tends to change a lot as I go (as I'm sure you are aware of by now). And thank you for the sweet words! I like to be warned ahead of time, too, so that's probably partially why I do it. I don't know. It may actually ruin some suspense or something ...lol. It might be better to have everyone strolling around on a lovely walk ... and then just shove them all off a cliff. ;)

**New Fan:** Aww, thanks so much! This should have been my last year in college, but I changed my major and now I have an ungodly amount of hours in a degree I no longer want. I'm having to bust out the prerequisites for my new one now. My hope, once school starts, is to average a chapter every 2 weeks. Hopefully I can meet that. I still have five days until the semester starts, though, so I'm half tempted to try to get one more chapter up here before I get sucked back in. As for Kuroshi, he's a bit of a strange character, so I'm not sure how often he'll appear … but he and what he has done is central to the plot.

**Burntbanana:** Thank you! Actually, I'm considering adding something else that will tie it even more to Kagome's future, but messing with time hurts my head, and so I try to avoid it. Still, I'm tempted. And I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Like I've said, it still feels really weird to me, but I get like this every time I start a new story. The first few chapters always leave me with this feeling of … "What in the world am I doing?"

**Cat:** Thank you very much! I will certainly do my best. As I mentioned at the beginning of chapter one, this story is one massive writing exercise for me. I've gotten out of practice, and since I'm plotting out my own original stuff, launching back into a fanfic is an excellent warm-up. And I could certainly use all the practice I can get.

**Angaloth:** Hi there! Thank you, I'm very glad to hear that. It's impossible to keep someone else's characters completely in character, but since I love them so much, it was really important to me to try my best to do that. And I agree with you about Rin being sort of an OC, especially an adult Rin. Since she's just a child in the anime/manga and we don't see all that much of her, it's hard to pin down a proper personality. But I try to write her as an adult the same way I see her in the anime … like you said … she's a very kind, gentle person, but she's not a pushover and she'll stand her ground when she has to. Also, sorry about the cruelty … lol … but I do like to prepare people a bit before a segment of my story takes a dark turn. Maybe it's more that I'm preparing myself, I don't know. I'm very odd when I'm writing. Lol … you probably pictured him saying it the same way I did. Dialogue is my favorite thing to write, especially when it comes from an off-beat character. Thank you for the comments, and it was good to hear from you. :)


	4. Sentimentality and the Fiery Sky

**4 – Sentimentality and the Fiery Sky**

"Sesshoumaru!"

He turned at the excited call, watching as Rin bent over something in the dark scattering of rock and muddy topsoil. Her long hair had been swept upward and pinned, the ends of her kimono tucked into the waist, allowing her to kneel without ruining her clothing. Her palms and knees, however, were black with smeared earth and he suddenly felt as though he had been transported backward a dozen years.

"_Sesshoumaru-sama!" _

Heh. He could still hear that little girl's voice, that enthusiastic cheer. That girl was older now, but the excitement remained, and he moved to see what she had so gleefully discovered. Dirty hands smoothed wet soil aside, revealing a tiny sprig of green that had had the nerve to sprout itself on the face of hell.

"It's … a weed," he informed her, aware that he sounded unimpressed, but he simply could not see the joy in it. "An unhealthy one."

"It's the first plant I've seen here." Brown eyes sparkled happily, then moved to look out toward a horizon that was all morning-blue sky, charred earth, and a broken fortress. "The land is slowly repairing itself, don't you think?"

'_Slowly' is hardly the word._ _Snails maintain a reckless speed in comparison. _

"It will likely be another six hundred years before this land can support anything of substance," he replied. He watched with absent humor as she did her best by the weed, moving the rubble out of the way with cupped hands so that it would have better exposure to sunlight. "Are you ready to return?"

Rin got back to her feet, rubbing her hands together in order to loosen the muck, appearing pleased with herself. She fell into step with him and they turned back toward the fortress, caught in the companionable silence he enjoyed, and Sesshoumaru found himself considering Rin's dogged human determination to see brightness in the most dreary things. It was a pattern that had begun years ago in a dusk-stained, shadowy forest, with him, and it had continued, alternately frustrating and amusing, and he attributed it to the human need for optimism. From his observations, it was as necessary to them as air and water and food, and he supposed if any species would need to cling to something so dishonest, it would be those creatures.

Dishonest, yes, but it was a habit of hers that he would never want to break.

The clacking sound of her sandals against rock was then masked by her voice, which was happy, content. "Shinya asked me to thank you."

He did not look at her, eyes trained on the dilapidated fortress that loomed ahead. "And why would that be?"

"For being kind to Kanaye."

He did look at her then. She saw the strangest motivations in the most meaningless acts, and apparently she was spreading this odd behavior to Shinya. "When have I ever been kind to Kanaye? If it did happen, I can assure you it was not intended."

"Yesterday. He was trying to start a fight with you, but you were very lenient, considering …"

"Ah," he answered, certain that if either of those girls had been within hearing distance of the obscene language he had inflicted upon Kanaye, they would not be so quick to pat him on the head like some well-behaved pet. "There were reasons for that. It was not out of any sort of kindness."

"Then what was it?" she asked, looking up at him with interest.

"I will not spill that man's blood in this place," Sesshoumaru said almost regretfully. "He is a loathsome creature and he does not deserve even that amount of respect, but it is not for him that I held myself back."

"Then for your father?"

"In a sense," Sesshoumaru admitted. "This is a place of burial for all of them, even the three survivors."

"What do you mean?"

Sesshoumaru considered that question for himself, as it was not something he knew how to answer concisely. After several moments, he revealed, "My father was born into luxury. As a child he was coddled and praised. He had great talent in military matters, and so he was regarded as a shining example of what an heir should be: intelligent, accomplished, and always in agreement with his father's decisions. He was lavishly spoiled and developed a sense of self-importance to match."

Rin frowned, unconsciously slowing her steps so that Sesshoumaru would keep speaking. "Spoiled? That doesn't sound so much like the Inutaisho-sama I have heard about."

"As I said, this place is a burial site," Sesshoumaru reminded her. "He was fundamentally changed by what happened here. He shed the skin of the spoiled prince, and became the warrior who reclaimed the west. To him, this place created a better, stronger leader."

"And for the others?"

"My father's sister changed in a similar way, but for Kanaye, there was a different result altogether," Sesshoumaru went on, eyes focused on the rocky ground as he recalled his father's distant words. "He was a quiet, serious boy. Since my father was the prized strategic genius, Kanaye was left to himself. His training was not seen as essential, and so he was, instead, extensively educated and allowed to do as he pleased."

"And then Eido came …," Rin murmured.

"Yes. It remade him into a different person. It brought out something dark and angry that festered and grew until it formed the creature you have seen. He was lost during that battle and never reclaimed."

"How very sad."

"You spare him the sympathy that I do not. It is weakness, purely and simply. I have no patience for it or for him," Sesshoumaru brushed off the sorrow in her tone. "However, that man, rabid animal though he may be, was left alone against an army and did not retreat. For that, I will not fight him here."

Her smile returned at his words and she wrapped her arm through his, thin fingers curling about his wrist. Such odd bursts of affection, even when he had said and done nothing to earn them. He supposed it was more of her depthless indulgence for his difficult temperament.

"I think you may have saved Sashe a lot of worry," Rin finally said in a gentle voice. "She really wants this to go well. She's just so happy, it's infectious."

"This is a waste of my time," Sesshoumaru complained. "If her happiness is tied to the success or failure of this disastrous affair, then it is superficial and even more tiresome than she is."

"You're not exactly the sort to want such a thing, so of course you wouldn't understand," Rin teased. "She is very excited and very in love, and she wants to share it with the people that are important to her."

He eyed her suspiciously. "You sound as though you understand her very well."

"Of course I do. When I was a little girl, my father would take my brother and I into the larger cities to sell our fish, and I still remember seeing the wedding trains with the litters that dangled with ribbons and bells and the pretty girls with the white-painted faces. I think most girls dream of having some lavish ceremony with beautiful things to wear and delicious things to eat and the perfect, handsome prince at the end of it all."

"And now?"

She laughed at the quiet dread in his question, turning a mischievous smile his way. "Now I have the perfect prince, at least, but he comes from a people with a very different social code. I think I'm something like a concubine."

He made an amused sound at that. "Concubine, is it?"

"Of a sort, yes."

"Mate is not a good term, I suppose," he agreed. "To youkai, that is a title reminiscent more of a contract than anything else. Because we are so very long-lived, youkai tend not to stay together for a lifetime as humans do. The concept of mates is a union meant for procreation, continuation of a family line and the species." He eyed her with faint humor. "But 'concubine' somehow seems unacceptable, and I intend to keep you longer than I would a mate. To be honest, there is no word to describe your relation to me. At least, not so far as this 'social code' you speak of."

The smile widened. "It's not as though it matters. What I'm called doesn't change anything; words and titles are abstract. I learned that from you."

"I suppose the closest word for it would be the human term. That is a different union. They choose to be together for reasons of companionship as much as anything else."

"You mean 'wife'?" Rin asked, puzzled.

"Is that what you are?" he questioned her thoughtfully. "That is fine. In any case, it is far more acceptable than 'concubine' …"

* * *

The mud and grime were diligently scrubbed from her hands and her knees with a rose-scented soap that made Rin crave a warm bath. She washed her face with it as well and then, skin smelling like fresh petals, she changed clothes and descended into a scene of chaos. A glance into the dark entry-way found Kanaye and a very serious-looking Shinya deep in the middle of an intent conversation. Not wanting to interrupt, she went to locate Sashe and a means to make herself useful. 

Sesshoumaru evacuated himself completely from the premises, no longer able to endure the shrill madness of the day, and Rin had watched him go with a quiet, bemused sympathy. Even Furu, who she ranked among the most patient of youkai, seemed out of his element. He had given up trying to keep pace with Sashe, and had set himself as spectator over the last minute sewing work Rin and Shinya had been assigned. It was a task neither girl had to perform with any regularity, and so the stitches were continuously stripped and resewn until Sashe stepped in and pulled the garment from their hands.

"You two are rather hopeless, aren't you?" she sighed. She then extended a box toward Shinya who squinted her eyes at the smell and clamped one hand over her mouth and nose.

"It's that disgusting tea."

"In your opinion," Sashe replied loftily, "but it's almost gone, and we'll need it for tonight. Mother says she oversaw the packing of two more boxes of it, but I've searched everywhere and they're not here."

"And you want me to go buy some? Chinese tea in the middle of nowhere in Japan?"

"Chinese tea near the sea that separates us from China," Sashe corrected, her attention so focused that she did not notice when Furu pulled her arm to him and began sniffing it with open contentment. "There are ports on that sea, and where there are ports, there are goods being shipped."

"Shall I turn pirate for you, Sashe?" Shinya questioned blandly.

"_That_ is something I would love to see. If piracy is scheduled for the afternoon, count me in. Rin, too. I'd give anything to have to explain it to her mutt," Furu murmured, smiling boyishly when Sashe retrieved her arm from his grasp. "You smell … pink."

"It's called 'rose', Furu," she explained, gracing him with an indulgent smile before turning a look of fervent seriousness on her sister. She shook the empty box for emphasis. "Do they have this in your city yet?"

Shinya took another look and shrugged. "I don't think so. The city is still gathering population and vendors. For now, it's mostly just the essentials … and plenty of sake." Shinya paused when she saw Sashe's disappointment, then got to her feet, casting a mischievous smile at Rin. "It's all right, though, Sashe. Hokido will have it."

"The human city?" Sashe repeated, frowning. "I don't think---"

"It's enormous and well-supplied. If any place has it, they will. And it's fine," Shinya insisted. "Because of the city's construction, I've had to deal with the daimyou and Hokido on a very regular basis. A visit from me won't be a surprise. There won't be any trouble."

"But they're the ones who---"

"Yes, but that's all in the past," Shinya said firmly, then turned an excited look on Rin. "So … how about it? Do you feel like going for a walk?"

"You want me to go with you?" Rin repeated uncertainly.

"Of course. It's been ages since you've been into a city, right? And I'm willing to bet you've never seen one this large. It's the seat of government and military for the entire region … for the humans, at least. I've been there quite recently, and as far as I've seen they seem untouched by that sickness." She nodded then, as though having convinced herself. "Sesshoumaru's off being unsociable, so why not come along? If the illness has reached the city, I'll be able to smell it well before we enter. You'll be safe, I promise. And so?"

Rin smiled at Shinya's enthusiasm. Of all the youkai she had met, this one seemed the most oblivious to the differences between humans and demons. To Shinya, it was as inconsequential as gender, the subject bored her terribly, and she supposed that was why the girl had sunk into a friendship with Rin without reservation.

Rin nodded, feeling certain that she would be returning that afternoon to an unhappy youkai lord, but the offer was too enticing to pass up. "I'd love to go."

Furu made a face at Sashe. "Are you serious about letting these two loose in that place?" he asked doubtfully. "I can't speak for Rin, but I can tell you … the last time I sent your kid sister off with human money and an errand, she came back empty-handed and in debt …"

* * *

Rin supposed they made a very strange pair, walking down the road side-by-side, one raven-haired human girl, one golden-haired demon girl, immersed in a constant stream of chatter. It was rather difficult to miss the odd, unsettled looks they received from traveling merchants and others who passed them on horseback or in creaky carts. After all, when was it natural to find a human and a youkai as such easy companions? 

"… and so because I had not seen him in so long, he did not recognize me by sight. Only by scent, and he said …," Shinya paused and affected her best Sesshoumaru impersonation, dropping her voice an octave, "'You smell like your mother and behave like your father. I already know I will not like you.'"

Rin laughed at the horrible attempt. "That was terrible, but they do sound like his words."

"I'm quoting, I swear it. Can you believe the nerve? And what was he like when you met him?"

Rin thought back to that time, trying to find words that Sesshoumaru would not find unforgivable. "He was kinder than that," she admitted ruefully. "But I think I confused him. It was probably a shock to see a little human girl so determined to feed him something."

"_Feed_ him?" Shinya repeated. "What a chore. He loathes everything. I am surprised he is not skin and bone."

"I wasn't sure what youkai ate, and he wouldn't touch anything I brought. It was only later that I discovered how … selective he is."

"Snobby, you mean?" Shinya corrected airily. She looked ahead and gestured to the enormous fortress that sprawled across the plain. It was made of some sort of notched, sand-colored stone and surrounded by spiked wooden gates that looked as though they would take several men in order to open. "And speaking of snobby, it took a very long time to convince these people that I was not a walking force of evil."

Rin grinned. "I suppose it was the ears?"

Shinya gave a snort of amusement. "Something like that. The daimyou is not particularly fond of my father … for valid reasons, I'll admit. He didn't want to have anything to do with me initially. It took months for me to set up trade relations with them. That was my goal, you see," she said quietly, as though revealing a secret. "The relationship between humans and demons has been bloody and hateful for so long, and I'm tired of it. Neither of us is going anywhere, so why not make the adjustment? Part of the reason I pushed for the building of the demon city is because I wanted to force an interaction between humans and youkai that did not include a body count. My family background worked against me, and I think that made me work harder. Hokido still remembers its part in the battle with Eido, and I think they worry that we western dogs have not forgotten."

Rin smiled blandly at a cart that rolled by, its driver turning in his seat to get a better look at them. "Their part?" she asked.

Shinya nodded soberly. "My grandfather secured an alliance with the human leadership of that time. The agreement was that if they saw the northern army coming, they would light the torches in their guard towers and give us a warning. Unfortunately, one of Eido's people reached them and struck a deal: if they let the northern army pass without interference, Hokido would be spared Eido's attention both then and in the future. The humans accepted, and it is that reason that Eido was able to nearly get to my grandfather's doorstep before he realized what had happened."

Rin silently absorbed that bit of history, something in her surprised to hear of humans betraying youkai. For all her life, it had been the other way around, humans attacked by demons and forced to defend themselves through brute force or spiritual magic, and so often ineffectually. She supposed she had something of a prejudice in that regard; whenever she heard of a conflict between demons and humans, her instinct was to assume it to have resulted from the rampant intolerance of youkai. They did, after all, view humans as a sub-species; but, in turn, humans saw youkai as soulless monsters. She looked back over at her companion, who was still contemplating Hokido's visage without expression.

"My father is merciless with humans," Shinya went on. "He has created so much bad feeling, particularly in this region, because the terrible things he does are so often unprovoked and unrestrained. He does not have that instinct within him like most others do, that ability to understand when justice has been done, when one must stop. A slight against him by one human will end in the annihilation of an entire village. It may be difficult to believe, but that was not always so. Hokido and its betrayal turned him from indifferent to a monster, and six hundred years later, he is still fighting." Shinya turned a sad smile on Rin. "He cannot be satisfied. He cannot stand feeling. He cannot move past that point, when Eido came and everything, everyone was destroyed."

"And so you are working to correct what he has done? To offset the damage?" Rin murmured.

Shinya nodded. "It's important to me. Sesshoumaru calls me naïve and that is fine. But hundreds of years from now, I want Kanaye to be remembered as the father of the demon woman who extended her hand to the humans, not just as the hated human killer. Isn't that so very arrogant?" she laughed.

"I think it's a good dream to have," Rin replied honestly.

They passed through Hokido's open gates in a crowd of foot traffic, and Rin noticed the sharp looks they got from sentries who stood at rigid attention, silver-tipped spears in hand. Her senses were quickly immersed into the energy of the massive city, which curled at a slant from one level to the next, each section cut across by carved wooden bridges that spanned water-filled trenches. Hokido was like a living, breathing thing, its sides inhaling near to bursting with human bodies. Wall to sand-colored wall, it was filled with people and stands and shops selling all manner of wares from weapons to farming tools to cloth and jewelry. There were food stands that smelled like steaming rice and sliced citrus fruit and sizzling meat. Rin was quietly relieved to see that Shinya had been right; they did not garner more than a few passing, curious stares, and her demon escort seemed quite at home, familiar with the crowded streets and thoroughfares.

"Are you thirsty? We can find something to drink," Shinya offered, pulling a leather-bound bag seemingly from out of nowhere.

"Human money?" Rin questioned, surprised to see it in youkai hands, and Shinya nodded.

"My grandfather … my mother's father … buys and sells trade that is imported to China. He does a lot of business with humans; he even has human workers! Though he trades in goods, clients often give him gifts of their money, which is mostly useless to us. My grandfather is too polite to tell them that, and so he simply stores it in large rooms within his home. He tries to pass it off on us whenever he can. It just takes up space."

Rin's mouth fell open at that, and she could not help but think back to her early childhood, which had been spent in a one-room shack with a fisherman father who had barely been able to keep her and her mother and brother fed. The idea of simply storing unneeded money was so luxurious, she could not even imagine it, and she said so.

"If Sesshoumaru ever takes you to see him, just ask for some. He'd be so pleased to be rid of it," Shinya said carelessly.

They wended their way through the ground level of the city, then took one of the short bridges to the second tier, which was a good deal less crowded. It was populated by small shops that appeared to be of a higher scale than the ones near the city's main gate. The sun was well overhead by then and shining down with oppressive heat, prompting Shinya to pull Rin to one of the covered vending stalls. She greeted the vendor by name, but he only nodded in return, not appearing overly friendly. In fact, to Rin's eyes, he seemed more nervous at Shinya's sudden arrival than anything. Shinya absorbed the cold reception without comment, dumping a handful of the coins onto the stall's counter before passing Rin one of the scarred, modest cups that held some sort of light-colored drink.

They sipped at them while they walked to Hokido's third level, Rin following in Shinya's wake as they circled to a section of the city that was nearly abandoned in comparison to the lower levels. Rin could smell the stall well before they arrived, that pungent, herbal scent that reminded her of an apothecary. It was operated by an ancient man who rose at their arrival, gnarled, arthritic hands wrapping themselves around the cart's handles. And, again, Rin could see that they were not overly welcome.

"Good afternoon, Yasuo!" Shinya called cheerfully. She reached over and gently grasped one of the startled man's hands, turning it palm-up so that she could deposit the rest of the coins from the bag. "I'm spending my sister's human money today. She doesn't have the sense to know what things cost, and so she won't be getting any of it back. It's all yours, a year's worth of that swelling medicine, right? Just tell me this … I need a certain tea from China. It sort of tastes like cinnamon and orange … or maybe it's cherry and orange? I don't know. I forget. It's positively rancid and so I've only had it once, but she _loves_ it ---"

"Shinya-sama …"

The voice was raspy, fearful, and it riveted Rin's attention. She looked questioningly at Shinya, who stopped mid-sentence and pulled back, preparing to be a good deal more disappointed in this greeting.

"Is something wrong, Yasuo …?"

"You and your friend need to leave right now," he said in a whisper. "Please hurry. The tea can wait for another day."

Urgent. Afraid. Rin's skin crawled at the tone, and she was suddenly hyper aware of just how quiet the street was. She cast a careful look around them and watched with growing nervousness as the shops across the way began to shutter their doors and windows. At the end of the road, a paper vendor pulled the slats down over his cart and quickly rolled it down a sidestreet. She glanced back at Shinya, who seemed more annoyed than concerned.

"It cannot wait, Yasuo. What's wrong? Has someone been bothering you for dealing with me? If so, then the daimyou---"

There was a deadly, whispery sound then, one Rin recognized, but it was so unexpected, so far removed from the cheer of the day, that she was able to do little but watch in amazement as an arrow thumped through flesh with utmost precision, through the back, through the chest, an arrow tagged with a Buddhist sutra. It splattered blood against the weathered wood of the tea stall. A silence fell, pervasive, complete, as though sudden deafness had taken hold, and Rin froze, watching as Shinya bent for a moment and inhaled a choked, surprised breath. Rin's head jerked upward, searching for the source of the arrow only to find a clear blue sky and a humid breeze.

"Yasuo," Shinya reprimanded quietly, straightening, "I'd like a better warning next time."

"Shinya-sama …"

"Shinya." Rin reached out and gripped the girl's arm, pulling her into the shade of the covered cart just as her hearing lurched back into effect. Immediately, her ears picked up the unsteady pound of her heart and the sounds of many heavy feet thumping against the ground. Shinya's head had already lifted, like an animal sniffing out a threat, and they both turned to watch as dozens upon dozens of metal-plated soldiers poured out from the sidestreets and moved in group formation to block their path of escape. There was the movement of shadow, and Rin looked above their heads to the rooftops only to find helmeted archers, their massive bows nocked and ready.

"What _is_ this?" Shinya demanded in a whisper, then repeated it louder. "What the _hell_ is this?!" She pulled free from Rin and stepped into the middle of the street, eyeing the dark faces of the soldiers. Blood soaked its way through clothing, dripping from fingertips to dusty ground. Exhaling a heavy breath, she pulled herself to her full height and regarded the soldiers as though she was about to give them their marching orders. "I have an agreement with the daimyou. I am free to conduct business here without---"

The apparent commander of the contingent of soldiers stepped forward, blunt-nosed and vacant-eyed as he watched the demon girl with dispassion. "Your contract with the daimyou has been revoked," he informed her without preamble.

"I should say so!" Shinya replied with open sarcasm, and Rin felt certain that the girl had to restrain herself from stomping a foot in tantrum. "Does he end all business partnerships in this way? If so, he is very rude, and I can tell you, captain, that I am rather specialized in dealing with ill-mannered men."

Rin watched the confrontation with silent dread; she felt certain that the wisest course of action would have been to accept Yasuo's warning and flee. It wasn't an easily available option now, unfortunately. She was not helpless; she could use a bow and she was somewhat capable with smaller blades, but the fact was that she had left the fortress at Ayakami empty-handed, and now she had no clear idea of what to do. A tea stall was not an armory, and so was rather unhelpful in situations such as this. She felt exposed with nothing in hand to defend herself.

"Yesterday, I had an entire battalion of soldiers destroyed just outside the walls of this city," the captain announced, eyebrows furrowed. "The perpetrator was identified as the dog youkai called Kanaye."

"And so?" Shinya asked icily, though it was fairly easy for Rin to tell that this was new information.

"And so," the commander went on, "it is not the first encounter we've had with him recently. He has long been a nuisance to us, and we have attempted to shield ourselves from him. First with the proposition between my lord and the priestess Zadi, and then with you, and neither have worked in that regard. If our dealing with you and that city is going to bring such trouble to our door, we will end it here. Hokido has withstood demon assault for centuries; allowing this to go unchecked will only invite more, and we are not so afraid of him to let this pass. This is not some farm village to be ransacked in a moment of foul temper."

Rin felt her face grown warm with anger at his words. "Do _your_ children answer for you?" she demanded. "This is laziness."

"_My_ children are not rabid animals in false human form," the captain replied mildly, angling his head as though to get a better look at her. "And 'lazy' or not, this will bring Kanaye to us. My Lord is aware of who _you_ are as well. You are as welcome here as she is."

"She's a human," Shinya said flatly.

"She's a dog demon's whore."

Rin refused to allow her face to change expression, an exercise in calm, considering she felt as though she had just been slapped. She was accustomed to being called names by youkai, but it had been many years since she had suffered any sort of verbal assault from a human, and she felt her stomach churn with shock and anger. She was naïve, she knew, and Sesshoumaru had warned her for years that the longer they were together, the more word would travel, and soon she would find herself outcast from both sides.

"Ohhhh?" Shinya called mockingly. "You are a brave man to say that aloud. And you should know, I control my father about as well as you control your daimyou. There's noth---"

"I do not control the daimyou, but I would die in his place," the captain interrupted with an upraised hand. "It seems you and I are not so different."

There was laughter at that, not the girlish, careless giggle Rin had so often heard, but something darker and more dangerous. Rin took an uncertain step toward Shinya, but then stopped when she felt the very air change; everything suddenly felt shadowy and charged. Shinya lifted clawed hands to the protruding arrow, flesh sizzling against wood as the sutra worked to repel her. But she won in the end, silently snapping off the head and pulling it free.

"So is that it?" she asked, sounding amused as she lifted pale, angry eyes to the captain once more. "It all comes down to laziness, as my friend said. But that's fine. My father is a busy man today, he has someplace important to be tonight, and so I will happily take his place." The voice lowered to a breathy whisper. "But I will tell you, you stupid bastard … you have no idea what you've done."

"Shinya," Rin said in a low, urgent voice. She felt her muscles tense as though she were some battle-worn soldier herself, feeling exposed under the cold scrutiny of these humans who did not even see her as one of them. She glanced behind her, to the river of spears and swords and armor, and then forward once more. Shinya backed toward her, not taking her eyes from the captain, and with deft fingers she unsheathed the light sword she always wore. She extended it to Rin, and then turned to glance back at her friend, smiling faintly.

"You know how to use it, right?"

"Yes," Rin replied softly. Her dread increased as her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.

"Then I'll cut you a path. Find your way out."

"I can't do that," Rin said firmly, face heating again. "I'm not going to just leave you to this."

Eyebrows rose in response and the smile remained sincere. "Sesshoumaru is already going to be furious that I brought you into this. If I don't return you safely, it will be much worse for me, and I can tell you that I fear his wrath far more than this city's army."

"It would be better if we didn't separate …"

"Then I'll watch for you. Stay close, and don't step away. Try to defend as much as you can, because they have much more experience and will try to unbalance you," Shinya advised.

Distantly, Rin recalled another time very similar to this, when a deeper, angrier voice had given her nearly the same instructions, and had resented every word of it

"I'd really rather you not see me like this," Shinya confided, "but since it's necessary, I'll ask your forgiveness now."

Before Rin had time to answer to that, she recognized the gathering energy and took several measured steps backward until the cart and the shaking Yasuo were at her back. It was the same transformation she had seen from Sesshoumaru, and from Kanaye, but this time it manifested into a golden-furred, snapping dog whose head reached just above the buildings, much to the horror of the archers. Immediately, it provoked a hail of arrows, which prompted a massive paw to sweep them from their rooftop perches like flies being batted away from a picnic lunch.

The sun began its steady descent to dusk. The earth shook underfoot, and as Rin stood in the shadow of a battle-driven canine, she had only a moment to consider how badly this had gone. This was meant to be a short errand on a happy day, but now there were male screams and the metallic smell of blood in the air as claws swiftly carved through life, as well as the sounds of a dog youkai giving in to an explosion of temper that was quickly leveling a city block. But there were so many, and more coming all the time, from everywhere, appearing through the dense haze of dust like disembodied shadows.

Sesshoumaru's face came to mind then, aloof, calm, and as she turned to meet Hokido's oncoming army, lifting Shinya's sword in her own defense, Rin knew that he was going to be very, _very_ angry ….

* * *

He was very, _very_ annoyed. A means to escape the rampant stupidity that had infested Ayakami morphed into another source of aggravation. Sesshoumaru was tracked down by one of his sycophants and informed that Namiko, no doubt congratulating herself on her nonexistent cleverness, had dealt with the border's weevil infestation by setting fire to six human villages and their problematic fields. Naturally, the wind had been blowing north-westward at the time. 

And so he had told the cringing messenger to inform Namiko that the fire had better be contained by the time he returned from Ayakami, and if it was not, her reign in the east would be cut astonishingly short. Easily handled by a water youkai, correct? Yes, when said water youkai did more with her spare time than filing her claws and soaking up sea-side sunlight.

Sesshoumaru returned to the fortress just as the sun was beginning its steady downward climb, orange fingers stretching into the west in a splash of pink and gold. As he looked up at the sad façade of the ancient building, he saw that every window had been lit up, likely by Sashe in one of her frenzied campaigns against the darkness of the place. Cooking smells were coating the grounds in layers of spices and oils. It made him not want to go inside. The original kitchen area had been destroyed during Eido's assault, and so Sashe had simply improvised and converted another convenient room, one with several fire pits and plenty of table space. Sesshoumaru had been rather displeased by that; a room meant for the repair of weapons had been turned into a kitchen at the whim of some giddy, half-witted girl. There was something very wrong with that, beyond the fact that it was not properly ventilated for cooking, causing the fortress to silently stew in smells that were thick and nauseating.

And it seemed he was not the only one that had fled that fortress. Kanaye was sprawled across the narrow front steps like a corpse left to rot at the side of the road, blocking the entryway. As Sesshoumaru approached, Kanaye lifted his head and eyed him with absent interest.

"Sashe wants one of us to read the ceremony. She says she doesn't care which, but it's supposed to be a highly-ranked family member. We're low on options here. I told her you'd do it."

"I refuse."

"I'll read it in Latin."

"I do not care. It's not as though I'll be listening," Sesshoumaru replied. And indeed he would not be. In fact, he was not sure if he would even attend this ridiculous ceremony. If Sashe wanted a Chinese-style wedding, then she should have stayed in China.

"Damn but you're annoying."

Not intending to reply, Sesshoumaru moved to walk around the sprawled body, but it picked itself up to a sitting position. One hand had the gall to reach out and grasp a sleeve as he walked by, and Sesshoumaru considered snapping the fingers.

"Oi."

"_What_?" Sesshoumaru asked impatiently, pulling his sleeve free.

"Do you hear fire?"

Sesshoumaru could not stop the sarcasm. "Have you been plotting with Namiko, Oji-san?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind." It was obvious that one would smell fire far before they heard it, and the only thing Sesshoumaru smelled was the sickening conglomeration of cooking scents that were wafting out of the very seams of the building.

"It sounds like that time," Kanaye muttered. "It's irritating me."

Sesshoumaru looked outward across the orange-lit sky, listening intently, but all he heard was meaningless conversation from within and the pounding footsteps of that enormous bear mixed with the lighter ones of the others.

"It is more likely just this place," Sesshoumaru replied. "You've been sulking over it since you arrived. If your mental state is so precarious here, then do us all a favor and leave instead of sitting and wallowing on the steps like some half-dead vagrant."

Kanaye fixed him with a dead stare. "I _bought_ this place, you stupid bastard. Through blood and effort. You will never own it as I will, no matter how long you remain the western lord. It all still reeks of death. I can smell it, even if you cannot."

"You whine like a martyr, Kanaye," Sesshoumaru said scornfully.

"I agree," Kanaye nodded, then his face changed and he appeared thoughtful. "And yet," he said slowly, "I would do it all for you again. I have wondered before if I would have fought so hard if I had known what would come of it. My father's precious territory is in the grasp of you and your intolerable ego and your sneering disdain for all life other than your own. A silent, selfish, moody boy grew up to crush western youkai under his heel … smother them until they all agreed to worship him like some pale, cranky god. To be honest, I quite enjoy that, and so, yes, I am certain I would do it all again."

Sesshoumaru stared mutely. He wasn't certain if that was meant to be more complimentary or insulting, and so he left it alone.

"I like you as much as I dislike you, and I suppose that equals out to me feeling nothing toward you at all," Kanaye added in a tone that was devoid of inflection. "I think that is why I have never felt the desire to kill you, despite the fact that you are a jackass of a degree I have yet to see surpassed."

"What is this about, Kanaye?" Sesshoumaru questioned irritably. It was strange hearing his uncle speak like this, and he was quickly becoming frustrated with the indecision over whether he was being mocked or praised. Neither was particularly welcome.

"You've done passably well … even if you are entirely too lenient with the human infection. Gods above, they're like some festering wound that needs to be cleaned out." Golden eyes slid toward Sesshoumaru, mocking once more. "But I suppose you'd rather preserve your supply of naïve, scandalously young human girls, eh?"

Sesshoumaru's tone became acidic. "Are you looking for death, Kanaye? I wonder, since mixing death-bed sentimentality with your judgment of me is an effective way to find it."

Kanaye made a derisive sound at that, but said nothing else. Or perhaps it was more that they were interrupted when Lien emerged from the narrow doorway, wrapped in a silk kimono. She extended a folded letter to Sesshoumaru.

"It's from your grandfather," she said as he took it from her hands. "Read it and please reply. I'll be returning tomorrow morning, so I'll need it before then."

Kanaye glanced back at her, expressionless. "Tomorrow? Then where is your pack of guard dogs?"

"I chose not to bring an escort this time," she said pointedly. "I didn't ask my father to arrange it because I knew you would only look at them as an excuse to start trouble. And _don't_ look at me like that! I am not so helpless; I can find my way home. It's not very dangerous these days."

There was scornful laughter at that. "You are an idiot," Kanaye claimed. "Some mindless beast would be thrilled to have a Chinese princess for dinner … or worse, ransom you, and you would be completely out of luck, my love, because I would not lift a finger to aid you. You are positively the most helpless woman I know."

"On that we agree," Sesshoumaru muttered absently, flipping to the second page of the letter.

Lien's face became stormy at their mockery, and Kanaye exhaled a worn breath. "I'll walk you home, Hime-sama. Just like the old days, right? Except this is going to be one long, fucking stroll. If anyone is going to get to kill you, it should at least be me."

Lien looked taken aback. "That was … almost kind, I think."

"Don't get too attached," he advised airily. "Your old man needs to buy you a new youkai. Your old one needs repairs."

She ignored that, and went silent. The sun sank enough to encourage the crickets, who began their tentative chirping. And, then, finally …

"Kanaye? Sesshoumaru?"

"Hmm?" Absent, distracted.

"What is it, woman?" Wary, irritable.

"One of you will read the family's part of the ceremony, right?"

"No."

"No."

"Please," Lien requested. "Sashe's even come to me to see if I would do it if the two of you refused. That is rather sad, don't you think?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from the scrawled business ramblings of his grandfather and caught the pointed glance she sent his way. He rewarded it with a faint, mean smile. "You were wise to try this with him, because it will not work with me."

"It is pages long," Kanaye complained, as though that sealed the issue with the finality of a closed book.

"I'll have her cut it down some. Please."

Kanaye aimed a glance at Sesshoumaru. "I'll fight you for the refusal."

"You would be wasting your time."

"You are the reason I did not want boys," Kanaye muttered. "I would have killed you if you were mine."

"Drowned like a hanyou?" Sesshoumaru asked wryly.

"Indeed."

Lien shook her head in confusion. "What are you two talking about?" And then she seemed to recall something, because she turned to Sesshoumaru. "And speaking of children, it's getting late. Would you mind tracking down the girls, Sesshoumaru?"

He looked up. "Girls?"

Lien smoothed back a strand of blonde hair with habitual prissiness. "Shinya and Rin. They went on an errand for Sashe in Hokido, but it's getting late. And don't scowl at me, Sesshoumaru. You know how girls their age are when they're set loose in a city --- although, I don't suppose you do know, do you?"

"Hokido?" Kanaye repeated. He glanced up at Lien as though she had just doused him with cold water, then snapped, "You really have a way of saving the important information for last, don't you?"

* * *

On the outskirts of a small, distant village to the north, a half-demon pitched his shovel into the dirt, stopping to wipe his face with a loose red sleeve. His eyes were watering from the smell, his claws were caked with dirt, and there were two more graves left to dig. 

Nearby, his monk friend unclasped his hands and rose from where he had been kneeling in the freshly-turned earth.

"Are you going, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. You'll have to be the grave-digger for the next few days, so don't go catching that shit."

Miroku's eyes were dark and serious. "Then you think Kaede-sama was right?"

"Don't you sense something?"

"Sometimes. Something seems wrong, but … I'm not sure …"

Inuyasha rolled up his sleeves in a huff and reached for the shovel once more. "Heh. I don't need spiritual powers to tell me this disease isn't normal. The body count and the way it's spreading is enough. It started south of here from what I can gather and shot outward in a circle. The center is completely unaffected and do you know who lives in that area? That pointy-eared bastard who lords around like he owns the place."

"So you're going to see Sesshoumaru first?"

Inuyasha nodded as he pushed the shovel back into the moist earth, feeling the last hot rays of daylight as they pounded on his back. "It's been a couple of years and I'm suddenly feeling sociable. I think it's pretty damned interesting that this disease is hitting everywhere except right near him. It could be that his face is just ugly enough to scare off these 'germs' Kagome keeps shrieking about. But I know him, and he may have cooled off over the past couple of years, but he's still the meanest son of a bitch I know. I'm starting with him."

* * *

Deep within his subterranean castle, Kuroshi rested on bent knees, utterly calm. It was quiet; he was accustomed to that, the silence that came from a total absence of life. Perhaps that was why he so prized the warmth and insistence of a beating heart. In this place, far below the living world, there were only two sounds: the intermittent dripping of water from cavern ceiling to floor, which gave birth to the stalactites and stalagmites he had watched expand for nearly a thousand years, and then the other, that steady, raucous pounding that echoed within his chest like the drumbeat preceding an execution. 

It was not the sound of his heart; that was as peaceful as the rest of him. It was the gate, and it was becoming louder, more demanding with each passing day. He looked down to his pale hands and the bug-eyed creature he had just created. One of his soul-bearers. It gazed back at him with a blank, honest stare. It was not time to whisper that name, though. She was still alive, she did not need a soul-bearer. Not yet. Not again. And he hoped that remained so, but just in case, this one was completely formed and ready.

He had become unbearably selfish. He was doing enough damage. But he would never allow _that one_ to know the grief of eternal separation from someone so loved. It was a feeling Kuroshi knew all too well.

* * *

The plain unfolded before them like a dark, feathery sea and the heat of the failing day rose from the damp ground in the faintest clouds of humid vapor. The fortress that surrounded the daimyou's city was well within sight, and it required no honed instinct to see that Hokido had made the devastating mistake of provoking a youkai. About one-fifth of the city appeared to be in flames, and a thick coat of oily smoke hovered overhead. Even from a distance, the high-pitched voices of fearful humans could be heard echoing from behind the walls. 

Cursed. This place was cursed. The closer Sesshoumaru got, the more his senses picked up, and the angrier he became … at Shinya, at Kanaye, and even at _her_ for being so hell-damned innocent, swept away in troubles so old that even her most distant Japanese ancestors were unlikely to have heard so much as a whisper of it. The plain reeked of blood, old and new. Of death and decay and raw fear. The very soil seemed to scream an ancient pain that reverberated through his bones.

He had been able to scent her out well before he had even reached the army's lush training fields, and his insides felt as though they were turning outward. He already knew … and it felt as though poison was pouring through his veins, causing his fingers to ache and flex of their own accord.

Kanaye cut past him, and Sesshoumaru turned his head, searching the flaming sky, which cast distracting, undulating shadows. Somewhere, somewhere distant from his attention, his hearing registered the shouts of the humans on the battlements and the sounds of Furu's heavy feet suddenly in his wake. They were nothing he was interested in right now. He had only one goal for the moment, and the rest could … and most certainly _would_ … be taken care of once it was accomplished.

They found them outside the city walls. Darkening dusk and amber flame were enough to highlight the forms of two females, strung from the gate like meat being prepared for the spit. It was enough to jar Sesshoumaru out of his run, a million words and images and instincts crushing through his skull. There was a displacement of something, he could not name it, but the hole it left was filled by something far more malevolent. Justification. He had been right, always. Mercy, kindness, tolerance. Give these things to the humans, the poor, vapid, helpless humans. His father had chanted that as a mantra of charity and forgiveness all the way to the grave.

His father had been so fundamentally wrong.

Sesshoumaru's fingers were stiff and burning as he easily launched himself to the top of the gate and cut her loose, grasping blood-slickened arms in an attempt to keep her from pitching back to the rain-softened earth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Furu doing the same for Shinya. Heard the bear demon succumb to his southern accent as he muttered several words in a rough voice.

The night was full of a gently rolling plain sprawling to ruin, of the smells of flame and blood, the sounds of his own arteries pumping so loudly they echoed resoundingly within his ears. His right hand was clasped carefully around one scarred leg, the left around her bare back. Like some broken thing. Insubstantial, unprepared. An easy target, but their next would not be so swiftly dealt with. Sesshoumaru looked behind him to the creatures that were as good as deceased, then turned to eye Kanaye, who remained at ground level, wholly focused on Hokido, expression blank as a corpse.

This indeed was Ayakami, and its power to give birth to a devil.

* * *

_**This one seems really long. Old habits die hard and, thankfully, I finished it just before school started. Now comes the fun of juggling fic-obsession with schoolwork! So, yeah, the plot switch has officially been flipped on. And something I've written in this chapter seems really familiar to me. Deja-vu-ish; I feel like I've written it before.**_

**_And I've gotta say this for the record: Zadi has not been and is not pregnant. I've done that, so I'm definitely not going there again. Kanaye was trying to accomplish four things in that conversation: 1) Pick a fight; 2) Threaten/Warn about the birth of a hanyou from Rin; 3) Indirectly tell the truth about his fight with Zadi (part of it); 4) Completely mess with their heads. And far more of #4 than anything else. _**

'**_Kay! Now that that's out of the way:_**

**New Fan:** Well, your chaos has arrived … lol. I've written fights before, but I'm pretty out-of-practice and I think the next chapter is gonna require some bad stuff. Glad you enjoyed him… he's not terribly helpful, is he? Now for the questions!

**1)** No

**2)** No

**3)** Because she knows him well, and what he was saying sounded as though he had done something truly godawful … but she had no idea what it was

**4)** I agree with you. I don't think he is very merciful, particularly back then. But since I was writing that from Rin's point of view, I didn't think she would agree that she had made him into a good person. She views him as a much better person than he is, and to her, he has always been very kind.

**5)** Inuyasha will show up in the next chapter. As for when he'll meet up with Sesshoumaru, it'll either by the next chapter or the one right after. And, nope, Rin hasn't had her son yet. If I follow my own timeline, Miya would be about 5 when Rin gives birth to her son, and in this story, Miya is only 3.

**FluffyTail:** Aww, thank you! Those are some of the best words any writer can read … lol. Fic-writing is such a good way to improve writing skills. I'm glad I'm back at it, since I've been sort of stalling for so long. I've really missed writing these guys … especially now that the intro's taken care of and I can get down to serious, dirty business.

**Midnight Lady:** No, no … I swear he didn't say that to her … lol. That issue will come out more when she arrives, but it ties into why Shinya got such a bad reception in this chapter. As for her city … hmm, I've already got that plotted out, but I will say it's not there in the future, unfortunately. I'm not sure who Inuyasha's actually going to meet. Well, I _can_ say that he definitely won't be meeting one person. Lol … yes, I tossed in one surviving sister for Inutaisho and Kanaye, and she did go to the "dark side", so to speak, and was involved with a human at one point. But that would have been a long time ago, and so her human guy would be dead. She'll appear in flashback form later on when I get into the details of what happened during the battle with Eido, but I don't think she'll appear as an adult.

**Sandpit:** Yep, Ashi's not a happy girl at the moment. :) Ohhhh, let me tell you what … if you write that essay, I can so give you a load of material for it … lol. There are several problems with Zadi as a character, and that's due to my own failure … she became something she wasn't intended to be. Quite suddenly, actually. But I often have problems with her myself. It doesn't bother me at all if someone hates my own characters. This is meant to be an 'Inuyasha' fanfiction and they're just here to do their job before exiting. ;) I'm very sorry that she annoys you, but since she's closely tied to the villain in this one, there's not a whole lot I can do. ;)

**Ghost140:** Yes! Well, sort of. Mine are still a little wacky. They show up … like 3 days later, out of order, and in huge bunches … lol. I'm glad he amused you … lol. Thanks very much!

**Burntbanana:** Thaaaank you, my dear! I've really been cranking these things out. Four chapters in less than a month. That's pretty darned fast. Sadly, it'll probably have to slow a bit now, since classes start tomorrow. Thanks for dropping by. :)

**Teela:** Heya! Well, I'm definitely glad you think so … and thank you so much! Lol … yeah, the mental image of that amused me, too. As for him being insane, he's not 'crazy', strictly-speaking. He operates on the same level as everyone else … he just views and reacts to things so weirdly, that he seems pretty wacked out to me a lot of the time. But that's because I often write his dialogue by considering exactly the opposite of what a "normal" person would say, and then make him say that. And you are correct in guessing that Zadi is not pregnant. Kanaye was going off on one of his wacked out tangents. Really, it comes down to him trying very hard to pick a fight. As for Shinya … she doesn't think of humans one way or another. She just doesn't see much of a difference, really. So it's not a particular love either way … lol. More that she doesn't care.


	5. Unforgiving Nature

**5 – Unforgiving Nature**

"What happened? What the hell could have happened?"

Sesshoumaru barely heard Furu. His mind was fixed on one task at a time. Claws methodically cut Rin's arms free of the thick, braided rope, exposing ribbons of raw flesh. He wondered how long she had hung from that gate, mind conjuring images of jeering tormentors, humans with faces twisted into monstrous expressions. And then he exhaled, hand unconsciously moving to rest lightly around her throat as he coolly filtered his thoughts through that utter calm, the composure that came as easily as second nature. A steady thump pulsed against his fingers, matching the sound in his ears. She smelled like blood, more like Shinya's than her own, but for the second time that day, it made him think back to that little girl in the forest so long ago, the one that had come to him, beaten by her villagers and seemingly all the more cheerful for it. So glad to help him. So glad to help Shinya.

Tenseiga thumped against his leg, an echo, and the sword again seemed to radiate some sort of discontent. A spiritual malaise. Sesshoumaru ignored it and lifted his eyes to Furu. The bear's legs were bent in the grass, muscles quivering with unspent tension, and Shinya's body cradled against him like some favored child. True, he was the southern lord, and he held his place through strength and skill, but Furu was an odd sort of ruler: lenient, no grudges, able to laugh off even the most demeaning of insults … and, at the same time, far too easily affected.

"Take them back. I will handle the city," Sesshoumaru spoke, the words as hard as chips of ice.

Furu's head shook vehemently, Shinya's own head lolling with the movement, a tangle of crimson-soaked blonde hair trailing over one arm. "I can't take her back to them like this, so don't ask me to do that. Revive Shinya. You can stay behind and wreak whatever destruction that scary mind of yours is planning, and I'll take full responsibility for Rin."

"She needs the intervention of a human, not the fumbling of good intentions," Sesshoumaru replied. A detached inspection had located the only wound of real substance, some short slashes across one shoulder, and when he saw them he felt that black fury begin to course through his veins once more, fangs clenching together so tightly his head began to ache. The cuts had been methodical, a brand more than a wound, carved into delicate skin with the precision of a calligrapher, and with the blood wiped clear they revealed themselves, characters that formed a word he would not say aloud. It made him think of earlier that morning when they had been so carelessly discussing what she was to him. She most certainly was not … _this_.

He turned one limp hand, eyeing the palm where the skin had been rubbed raw from contact with the hilt of a sword. It was an abrasion he recognized, one that tended to afflict hands that were not calloused from familiarity with a blade. Overall, she had certainly fared much better than Shinya. He wondered if that was because of luck or intervention or intent, but he did not completely trust what he saw; humans often expired from the strangest, most surprising things. _Just where will I find a human physician that will not come from a village overwhelmed with the dead and dying? _Youkai were built so differently; they absorbed injuries differently, they healed differently. Rin had always been astonishingly healthy for one of her kind, and so in this matter, Sesshoumaru could silently admit a frustrating amount of ignorance.

A large shadow moved to hover over the two youkai, the flames of Hokido making it appear like a body burning at the stake. Sesshoumaru glanced up, finding Kanaye watching them without expression. He seemed disinterested, aloof, until one noticed that the pupils were so widely dilated they made the eyes appear black and feral.

"Someone left you a message, eh, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kanaye asked in an odd voice, hooded eyes resting dispassionately on Rin.

"I can stitch that up," Furu spoke up firmly, and Sesshoumaru's attention moved to him once more. "You'd be surprised what you learn to do when home is a camp in a field and the enemy doesn't give you time to heal properly before they're on top of you again. Just hurry and help Shinya."

"Take a good look at her, fool!" Sesshoumaru snapped, and that festering anger rose once more, tightening his jaw up until he felt sure it would snap. "These people knew exactly what they were doing. Their history with us has been long and extensive. It is clear that they had Tenseiga in mind when they did this."

"They cut out her heart," Kanaye said bluntly. "Take her back to Lien."

"She's not going back to her mother like this, you goddamned cur!" Furu spat. "Where's _your_ heart, huh? Kami, Kanaye, they _killed_ her and you look like you can't be bothered!"

"Shall I dissolve into some trembling female like you?" Kanaye questioned vacantly. "It is what it is. You seem inordinately bothered by a sister-in-law's death. Careful with that … Sashe's a raving bitch when she's jealous."

"I swear, I hate you," Furu breathed, brown eyes smoldering, looking for a moment as though he was prepared to lunge. "And if not for her, I would rip you apart."

"At least then you would be useful for something," came the snide reply.

"Take them back," Sesshoumaru repeated the order, breaking into the escalating tension. It was a selfish decision; he wanted the brunt of the hysterics well out of his way before he returned to that accursed fortress. He was not at all equipped for situations such as these, he simply did not possess an adequate capacity for grief and sympathy, and Kanaye had the heart of a tree stump. That left Furu, and they would all be better for it, each left to their own talents. He glanced down once more at Rin, who was still clutched in hands that were burning with the urge to destroy something. He was grateful for how very warm she was, but the dark hair was wet, soaked with blood and sweat. She did not smell like herself, and he wholeheartedly resented Hokido for that.

Furu gave in then, seeming suddenly burdened by a crushing weight. Serious eyes honed in on Sesshoumaru. "I'll ask you honestly. Are you being a bastard? Or is there really nothing you can do?"

"Not even I can revive someone who lacks something so vital," Sesshoumaru replied slowly, "however …"

"However …?"

"If I find her heart, I will have more options." That answer was honest, but it was not optimistic. Even so, it appeared to give Furu some hope. The bear demon got to his feet, adjusting Shinya over one wide shoulder before reaching out to take Rin. Sesshoumaru was silent as he watched them dissipate into the darkening evening, suddenly aware that the front of his haori was smeared with blood, soaked into the expensive material, a distracting mixture of two different women. He nearly gave in to the desire to shed it, but something in him wanted to keep the reminder close by. It had been a long time since he had done something like this, an assault against a human settlement of such a scale. Rin would hate him for what he was about to do, and at the moment, he could summon only the most distant regret over that.

"The daimyou belongs to me," Kanaye said quietly in that same odd tone.

"Do what you want with him," Sesshoumaru replied, rising back to his feet. "I intend to start with his army."

* * *

It was like waking up from a long sleep, a hibernation brought on by comfort and complacency and the domestication of a bright-eyed, sweet-natured human woman. Sesshoumaru could remember a time before Rin, when retaliation for some insult or injury had been automatic; he had been a creature of absence and absolutes. No remorse, nothing circulating through head or heart or conscience, just action, execution, death. Even to this day, he had no true empathy for the human creatures that inflicted themselves upon a land that rejected them. The alterations in his behavior had been for the benefit of one individual, and now, as he stalked past the gates of Hokido, he felt as though that sleeping monster had woken, the one that was made purely of selfishness and righteousness and unapologetic destruction. 

The stench of smoke and blood and fear was heavy in the air. The city had been laid to waste by a youkai that had quite obviously struggled for life. In some part of his mind, Sesshoumaru was able to take a sick satisfaction in the work Shinya had done. The city's entire third level was obliterated, flattened, gutted; the second level's main thoroughfare was an open-air morgue, littered with mangled bodies of soldiers that were now little more than refuse. It had been thorough, methodical. It was only a shame that she had been so severely outnumbered, because he could almost hear the slam of the door, and the huffed indignation, and the shower of complaints over what she would perceive as the sheer insanity of it all.

"_Ears! That is the only difference! My ears are pointed, and theirs' are rounded! And so what of it?!"_

He had heard the rant before, and had once made the mistake of offering her a reply.

"_It is more than 'ears', fool. You do not look like them, you do not behave like them. They were born from filth, and we were born from an ancient power. All they know to do is to destroy whatever they stumble upon, to annihilate what they fear and what they cannot control."_

Of course, she had dismissed him, wide-eyed in her bemusement, and wearing a smirk that had reminded him strikingly, and most unwelcomingly, of a certain hanyou.

"_I was born from a spoiled demon princess and a feral hound. You were born from an icy demon princess and a kind-hearted warrior. That is what put us where we are now, and similar circumstances brought the humans to exist here, in this time and place, along with us. Some of them are weak and held in poor regard, and still others are wealthy and powerful. They have their soulless and depraved, as well as their kind and good-hearted. Just like us, exactly like us. And so again, I ask … what of it?"_

She was a frustrating child. She understood nothing.

This night should have ended with more of the same, but because it had not, because they had literally ripped her life away and scarred an unthinkable word into another woman who was kinder than the lot of them put together, he was there to extinguish them all. He knew they would come to meet him, that army, and these people, the ones Rin would call "innocent", the ones Rin would plead for him to spare, they could thank their military for what was to come. They had aired a challenge he could not refuse.

At that moment, he felt such a loathing for them as a species, that old repulsion. It was like having to endure living amongst a colony of cockroaches, filthy, disease-ridden, seeking only to take and take and take, and to ruin something that was meant for better. He crushed those insects as he went, one by one, whoever had the misfortune of crossing his path. There was no thought; movement provoked attack, and he did not even look at whatever deceased thing he left behind, did not hear the screams of pain, the pleas for help. It did not matter to him. They were fouling the air he breathed and blocking the path to his true target, which was the army that was no doubt circling those threatening fires like a bunch of witless moths.

Something scurried in the shadows of his peripheral vision, and his movement was blurred as he reached out one hand, wrapping fingers around the neck of something that pulsed with wasted life. He pulled the creature to him, stared dispassionately into the face of a young woman, probably not much older than Rin. Dark eyes were bright with fear, like a deer frozen by sudden predatory movement. His fingers tightened, preparing to wrench the life from another, but he could still smell _her_, Rin, she was all over him, and somehow that made him spare this one. A half-hearted effort meant to please someone who was not even with him, who would never even know that another human woman still existed solely because of his occasional indulgence of her whims.

He leaned in toward the shaking female, slightly loosening his grip as he warned, "If you value any of the creatures in this place, then I advise you to take them and leave. You will be my only act of mercy tonight. Not for you, but for someone else. When I leave this place, it will be a graveyard."

He shoved her away, his ears filled with the frantic panting of a woman tripping herself in her haste to save her own life, of the flames that were consuming the third tier, and, more satisfyingly, of the sounds of pounding, booted feet that were heading _toward_ him. He smiled faintly, humorless, and moved out into the center of the cobbled road, watching patiently as a straggling herd of soldiers came rushing to their funerals. These pathetic wretches had been hit so hard by one demon girl, had beaten one child who had not even fully grown into her true form, and were lined up against him as though they would do it again. It was nearly laughable. Did they truly not understand the difference?

There was something else as well. He could sense the rise in holy power, recognized the spiritual feel of several exterminators. For youkai, resistance to spiritual powers came from the same place as strength: age and experience, and so he supposed that he was getting a look at what had ended Shinya's battle. It would have been like a grown man kicking a puppy, and there was faint satisfaction in that image, because _he_ was a fully grown dog, and those tended to absorb the kick and bite back.

The soldiers halted at what they perceived to be a safe distance, a stinking conglomeration of steel and sweaty flesh, book-ended at either side by crumbling, darkened buildings and broken stalls. The road was littered with abandoned wares: cracked dishes and smashed fruit and rumpled materials, backlit by the city's engulfed third level. Sesshoumaru looked on with absent interest as thirteen individuals stepped forward, all faceless, heads and bodies concealed by heavy purple robes. Their right hands extended, index and middle fingers held upright in a manner that was quite familiar to him. He watched with detached amusement as they began their quaint little chants in voices of unwavering confidence. After all, it had worked once tonight, had it not? He waited, purposefully allowing them to finish, and then there was an eye-searing flash, a sudden assault of purifying energy that hit him like a massive fist. It was the feeling that he, that any youkai, loathed most, a sort of base, arcane rejection that made his skin burn and his bones ache. It was a stress that weaker youkai could not endure. He did not allow himself the comfort of distance, refused to even move backward a step. He simply waited for it to end, to finish, and for them to see that their pathetic magic had no place in a battle against a taiyoukai.

There was something different in this, though; there was a distant, ghostly screaming that whirled within his ears like a disembodied choir composed of a hundred voices. Tenseiga gave another unhappy pulse, and then it ended. The air cleared of that horrid feeling, and the line of priests took an almost collective step backward in their confusion when they found him still standing.

Sesshoumaru then took his turn. He stepped forward, unsheathing Tenseiga in a motion of absolute grace … and the expulsion of energy from that one movement wrecked its way through the line of humans, obliterating those most holy individuals in a shower of fluid and fragments.

He was silent for several moments before returning his attention to an astonished army. "Were they meant to protect you?" he asked, flicking blood from the end of his sword with one heavy swing. "If so, you've just suffered a strategic setback."

Another human stepped forward, this one attired slightly differently than the others, and so Sesshoumaru assumed that he was some sort of authority figure. The man was bloodied, one arm hanging loosely, useless, and Sesshoumaru was grimly amused when he considered the hell Hokido had brought on themselves. That girl, Kanaye's girl … people assumed the wrong things when they saw her. She appeared innocent and easy-natured, but she was a bloodthirsty creature when she was angry, and these people had quite obviously made her _very_ angry.

"One youkai won't be enough," the man warned in a raspy, exhausted voice. "We were forced to destroy the demon girl, but the other was spared. Just take them and leave, and we can end this on even terms."

Sesshoumaru's fingers tightened around Tenseiga and he could hear the derision in his own voice as he replied. "You must have no idea who you are dealing with. I wonder what sane remnant of human filth would have the audacity to so openly challenge me, to provoke me. If I am staring at him, I am disappointed. Has it been so long? Have you people, in your arrogance and stupidity, simply forgotten the chasm that divides us in ability and intelligence?"

"That doesn't matter where numbers are concern---"

The soldier's body sunk to the ground, cleaved neatly in two, and Sesshoumaru looked up to the group once more.

"Is there a second in command?"

No one seemed immediately forthcoming, and so he spoke again, but this time the words came from somewhere else, a deep-seated bitterness that clung to his blood like a disease, a distant inheritance that transcended centuries. Ayakami was cursed; it was a place that craved blood and grief and he wanted nothing more than to wipe it clean.

"This city was blessed by the leniency of my family," Sesshoumaru said lowly. "Your ancestors were _allowed_ to exist, your births were the direct result of the mercy of the lord that came before me. Until today, you wisely chose to stay beneath my sight like the parasites that you are. I suppose my father's failure was in not demonstrating to you the consequences of invoking the wrath of a youkai, and my own failure was in allowing you to assume that I am anything like him." Tenseiga gave another odd, jolting thump, and he lifted it despite its complaints with the air of one disciplining a wayward child. "Your mistake in challenging me," he went on in a softer, frigid voice, "was that you harmed the only person who would have asked me to stop. I place no value on any of your lives, and so destroying the people of this city seems a poor attempt at equaling the damage you have done. But since your sad lives are all you have to offer me as compensation, I suppose we had better start."

* * *

The door was shattered off of its hinges in a hail of splinters and dust, and the soldier nearest the entrance had his head wrenched from his neck before he was able to completely turn around. Kanaye stalked into the room as though he owned it and had merely lost track of the key. Sight quickly took note of the body count he would get from the first floor, went on to eye the heavy beams that supported the upstairs. He would remove those on the way out, he decided absently, feeling numb as hands automatically responded to the movement of the vermin that approached him. It was their usual response, this pointless, pathetic attempt at self-preservation. Within moments, his hands and arms were slick with the blood of dozens. 

When the first floor had been seized by a tomb-like quiet, he moved to ascend a creaking set of stairs, feeling his lungs constrict in a moment of sheer discomfort. Something was tightening in his chest, twisting mercilessly until it felt as though something vital was going to break from the stress. He did not know what it was, he could not name it, but the only relief he could find was in separating souls from their human hosts.

He entered a formal reception area that was empty save for furnishings, and the ghosts in his mind manifested in odd, gray flashes of people who had likely once been within this room, but that were now separate from him, distanced in one way or another. Out of the corners of his eyes he felt certain he was seeing his father, the epitome of calm rule, laying down the agreement with the Hokido of so many centuries earlier. And then Zadi, hands clasped together in that pose she always assumed when she was about to either lecture or make an obnoxiously irrefutable point. And then Shinya, sweetly cajoling the daimyou into hearing her out, pleading in that way she had that was a tsunami of common sense and stubbornness and charm she most certainly had not inherited from him.

That constricting ache became much worse, and he absently ran a hand across his chest to make sure he had not absorbed some injury he had failed to notice. There was nothing, and his head turned, listening for the sounds of steps and voices over the pounding roar within his own ears. He took another set of stairs that deposited him on the upper floor, which held a room that was surprisingly spare for a rich, spoiled military leader. There was some movement then and the scent of a fragrance that was probably lovely by human standards, but which caused the backs of his eyes to pound. A young woman rounded a corner and entered the room, mouth falling open in silent surprise at his arrival, but she expired in a pool of her own blood before she could utter any scream. Thankfully, the smell of blood covered the reek of that perfume.

He could not think very well. There was something empty in his head, a vacant, white roar that refused to allow him to consider much of anything beyond the very moment, the small actions of extracting life from flesh. It was some distant comfort, and he could faintly recall another time when he had sunk into this same void. Something had emerged from that encompassing whiteness, something no one had recognized. That thing had transformed a gentle mother into something flinching and fearful, it had turned a once admired older brother into an enemy, always the first to line up against him in defense of others, of _these_ creatures.

_And so where are you now, Inutaisho?_ his mind wondered with an odd mixture of bitterness and satisfaction. It was always there even now, that supreme hatred for his brother and that crushing weight that came with the realization that Inutaisho was no longer there to check him, to dispose of the white monster that always lurked just beneath the surface. _Where are you to stop this, hmm? I have done it again, I have done it again ... I am doing it again._

It felt right. Nothing felt as right as this. He was still alive because he recognized their lack of value. Death came to youkai who turned their backs. It had found them all. It had found Shinya, and that was her mother's fault. Lien had always worked against him, an enemy within the walls of his own home, distorting his children into human-lovers, vulnerable, and so the part of him that was dreading having to face her also enjoyed the idea of flinging that into her perfect face.

Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru had a better understanding. Even now, the boy was off removing the last vestiges of the Hokido army, and it was during this thought that Kanaye located the head of that army. The daimyou was stupidly running toward the commotion, likely certain that, in the uproar of the city, a mob of looters or malcontents had come to his door, but Kanaye was certain this man had never faced anyone quite so malcontent as him.

He grasped the man by the throat, allowing claws to puncture through skin, enjoying the shrill yelp of surprise as he flung his quarry across the room to impact with a table full of weapons on display. Kanaye _prayed_ to whatever listened that the man would try to reach for one of those weapons, anything to make this more difficult, more enjoyable.

"How … how did you enter ---?" the middle-aged man gasped, apparently naively secure in the strength of his men. He grasped at the edge of the shattered table in order to pull himself to his feet, neck bleeding freely.

"I came through the gate, just like everyone else," Kanaye answered calmly. "You left me an invitation."

"Invitation?" the daimyou repeated warily, but when Kanaye prowled several steps closer, the man seemed to physically shrink back into his skin, like a turtle collapsing into its shell.

"I suppose my dealing with your escort a few months back was not quite enough of a message, but I thought that surely it would be enough to warn you not to come near anyone around me."

"Ah … Zadi …?"

"Don't say her name so casually," Kanaye advised with a mean smile. "The very sound of it makes me rather upset, and you have all you can handle at the moment." He cocked his head at the daimyou as though inspecting a foreign object. "This assault against Shinya," he paused, suddenly aware of how difficult it was to say that name. It was a beautiful name. It was one he had picked himself, and saying it felt as though he was trying to swallow a mouthful of nails. "This attack … was it because of my intervention in your dealings with Zadi? Or because of what occurred yesterday?"

The daimyou blinked watery eyes at the question, likely wondering which answer was healthier. "You … you misunderstood my intentions with Za---with that woman! It was not at all what you thought, though your suspicions, given the history between our city and your family, are understandable. But the guards yesterday were only---"

"---in my way, and so I killed them. You should have trained smarter men," Kanaye reprimanded, and then a grim smile crossed his face. "Zadi may not have been able to figure you out, but I did. I don't exactly keep that woman around for her brains."

"You… you misunderstand …"

"And from what I have seen, you're an even sicker bastard than I thought you were. Under normal circumstances, I could almost appreciate that. You like to carve nasty words into little human girls, do you? Strictly speaking, that's none of my business, but just this once I'm going to forget how much she disgusts me. And do you know why?"

"Why?" the daimyou whispered obediently, appearing to have no idea where the discussion was leading.

"Because that stupid bitch actually tried to fight off a city's army alongside my girl. There's something very humorous in that, most especially since I have been unfortunate enough to witness her sad lack of sword skills. She may be the western lord's whore, but she will most certainly outlive you."

The face paled considerably. "My men did not have the authority to … surely you must understand. They were furious over the resistance they got from those two women and reacted badly … disgracefully even … it was all very heated, and th---"

Kanaye broke in, appearing disinterested. "I don't get very attached to things, generally, but I must ask you, Daimyou-sama. Do you have children?"

"Y-yes."

"Do you like them?"

"Ah … yes."

"You see, I don't like mine very much," Kanaye replied conversationally. "They give me nothing but trouble. They treat me like some feral dog who has yet to take to house-training. To them, I am some sort of disease, like a fatal one you must face with resignation and a lot of courage. They are stubborn and strong-willed and shamelessly merciful and irritating as hell and smarter than they have the right to be. And yet somehow, I don't feel like I'm supposed to be here if they are not. Is that something like how humans feel toward their ugly, baboon-faced offspring?"

"Not … exactly …"

"I created that girl … the one you hung from the gate like a snapped chicken," Kanaye went on, tone lowering to a venomous whisper that he could barely hear over the roar in his own head, "and now I've got to go back and destroy her mother. I've done a lot of that already, so it's something I'm used to, but even I never thought I'd say to her what I'm going to say to her. I'm half-tempted to bring you with me. To make _you_ explain. But I'm _more_ tempted to carve out your fucking heart, strip you, and hang you from a post. You're an inspiration, Daimyou-sama, did you know?"

There was a sound then, swift, light footsteps pounding down the hallway. The daimyou's overlarge eyes swiveled fearfully toward the doorway just as a boy entered, probably no more than ten or so, brown hair tousled from sleep, feet bare against the floorboards. He never got the chance to voice his surprise because Kanaye, with a very casual movement, unsheathed his sword and drove it through the child's chest, pinning him to the wall. The room was filled with a dying boy's last gasps.

Kanaye extracted his sword, allowing the deceased form to hit the floor. He turned back to the stricken daimyou with dark, furious eyes. "Your child's life is not worth so much as a speck of dirt beneath my child's feet. My only regret is that I cannot kill each of you more than once. I do not know how I will get the revenge that is required for what happened today, but be assured that I will, and that it will only begin with you."

* * *

It was finished, something that had been started by one overpowered dog demon and ended by two others who had found the task wholly unsatisfying, both in its simplicity and in their inability to find what would have been able to correct an unearned death. Shinya's heart had not been within the walls of that city, likely destroyed in a spare moment of wisdom on the part of the army. 

Sesshoumaru exited the gates of Hokido with the entire city fully ablaze behind him, filling the night with the howling roar of untempered flame. He found Kanaye lurking near the spot where they had discussed what to do with the girls, and realized he would not have recognized the man by scent. He might as well have bathed in blood; silver hair was streaked red, clothes were soaked, claws and armor dripping. He reeked of a menagerie of dead humans, and Sesshoumaru found he could not help himself.

"Was it worth it?"

Blank eyes turned toward him.

"You've been biding your time for an excuse, you waited six hundred years for the chance to do what you just did. You finally provoked them into doing something that not even I could ignore, and all it cost you was one child. You still have another to spare. Shall I congratulate you on your victory?"

The voice that replied was absent of any confrontation, and the face that turned toward him seemed very young and wholly sincere. "You can accept my gratitude."

Sesshoumaru said nothing at first, covering his surprise with the habitual blank stare. "Gratitude?"

"If you had been my brother, you would not have allowed it. But you are here, and he is gone, and I am grateful. There are days when I feel you will never measure up to him, and days when I feel he could never measure up to you. Sometimes I feel that the two of you are becoming one person in my mind."

Sesshoumaru found nothing to say to that. It did not seem like a completely sane statement, and so he chose silence as Kanaye turned away from the ruined city and began walking back across the plain, toward a scarred fortress that was, once again, grieving a loss.

Sesshoumaru glanced back once more at the work they had done, and the last image he saw before he left the remnants of Hokido was something he had somehow missed earlier. Another body was strung from the gate. This time it was a man, middle-aged and stripped naked, a fist-sized hole punched through his chest. Across the stomach were jagged, angry slashes that formed the characters of another word: _corpse_.

As he turned away from the sight, preparing himself for a long and difficult night, he supposed it was the first and only time he would get so much satisfaction from his uncle's black sense of humor.

* * *

He had expected a bad reaction upon their return, but what was waiting for them took even Sesshoumaru by a measure of surprise. The first person they saw upon entering Ayakami Fortress was a shaking, red-eyed Sashe, who was quickly eclipsed by a woman Sesshoumaru barely recognized. Lien came from out of nowhere, and the revenge Kanaye had dealt on Hokido was turned fully on him the moment he made the mistake of stepping through the door. That face, normally so kind and indulgent, was sharp and white with an agony Sesshoumaru knew he could not understand, but even it was nothing to the rage that stopped Kanaye in his tracks. 

There were words, plenty of them, all of them from Lien, as though she had spent the evening dredging up hundreds of years' worth of anger and bitterness and resentment. It was purely poisonous, and Sesshoumaru found himself lingering to watch, mildly surprised by the venom of this woman who hurled names and words and accusations like rocks off a slingshot. Kanaye was like a looming statue, eyes fixated on her face, on an expression he had never seen before. Sesshoumaru was not certain if the man was struck speechless or simply had nothing to say, but the silence seemed to make Lien even more furious because she finally slapped him, the flat of one hand colliding with a bloody cheek, a solid smack that was likely decades in coming. Sesshoumaru supposed she was working to get a reaction out of him, to get him to say something back. He also felt certain it was not a healthy thing to do, and so he moved to grasp the hand.

"Enough," he said quietly, eyes boring into Lien's white face. "If you insist on behaving like this, then at least choose another time and place."

"Don't touch her."

At that oddly-voiced order, Sesshoumaru cut a look at Kanaye, but there was nothing in return. He released Lien's hand. "Better me than you," Sesshoumaru warned. "If you can control yourself, then she is free to beat you to death for all that I care. It is no less than what you deserve. I would do it myself if it weren't for the fact that several are in line ahead of me."

"I'll listen to whatever she has to say," the words were stiff, as though coming from lips that were reluctant to move. "I'm not angry."

At that, Sesshoumaru abandoned Kanaye to his verbal beating, interest solely centered on one individual within those walls. He passed a white-faced, somber Sashe, who looked as though she desperately wanted to speak with him, but could not quite force out the words. He heard her footsteps trailing behind him, but he ignored it as he moved to the fortress's drafty second floor and pushed open the door to the room he and Rin had been sharing.

There was a soft glow from flickering candles and that inescapable metallic smell. He felt as though he was surrounded by it, by some bloody sea; he could not seem to smell anything else. She was little more than a shrunken figure huddled under the bed coverings, as still as when they had parted earlier. Furu hovered over her with a needle that was ridiculously small for his hands, and he spoke without lifting his eyes.

"It's not the same for humans, I swear their skin is like paper. I've been at this for hours because I've had to use this," Furu muttered unhappily, indicating the miniscule needle.

"Then leave her alone."

"Do you keep a supply of human physicans on hand? No? Then be quiet. I can do it. This really isn't very bad. I just want to make sure I get it over with before she wakes up." He looked up then and past Sesshoumaru to Sashe, who hovered in the doorway with a nervous, frenzied energy. Furu formed a kind expression and gestured with his free hand for her to come to him, which she did obediently. He placed one hand at the back of her neck, a comforting gesture, and drew her in to whisper something into her ear. After a few moments, she nodded stiffly and went to work threading a new needle.

There was silence for several long minutes, punctuated only by harsh words from downstairs. Sesshoumaru settled himself against the far wall, feeling impatient and dissatisfied and … he was not sure what else it was, but there was _something_, and it made him want to have another go at Hokido. He was seized by a restlessness that craved action, and there was none to be had now. He had no place in which to direct this unspent energy, and so it slowly built, tightening everything until muscles were like coiled springs, held still by aristocratic composure. Sashe then made the mistake of speaking.

"Did you find…?"

"If I had found it, she would be here now," Sesshoumaru interrupted. He wanted her to be quiet, for her sake as well as his, because he was unable to conjure even a distant kindness for anyone at that moment.

There was a loud sound from downstairs, a raised feminine voice, and the crash of something that shattered. Appearing alarmed, Sashe got to her feet and moved toward the door, but Sesshoumaru intervened, directing her back toward the other side of the room. "Sit down and leave them alone."

"Sesshoumaru, he----"

"---deserves what he gets, and if that fight changes, _I _will hear it and _I_ will deal with it." On some level, he found himself hoping it _would_ change, that it would escalate. Kanaye would stop clinging to that remnant of dishonest calm, and then Sesshoumaru would have a way to unleash his building frustration.

"She wouldn't want this," Sashe whispered sadly, eyes filling with tears. "All of this, everything that has happened, that is happening, is an exact contradiction of what she would want. I cannot accept this. There has to be something you can do. If Tenseiga is unable to do anything, then maybe Kuroshi, he is her friend and yours …."

"Humans are Kuroshi's domain. Demons are dealt with differently. He can do as much about this as I can."

"I can't accept it," she repeated fervently.

"Be an adult and adjust to the circumstances."

"This is not something he will shrug off!" she snapped, temper surfacing in a flash of golden eyes. "He will not be able to handle it, and if this was three hundred years earlier, I would not be so afraid. Inutaisho-oji-sama knew what to do with him, but now it is only you, and that makes me fearful. For you and for him."

"Then you will have to settle for only me," Sesshoumaru replied snidely. "I have my limits and when your father crosses them, he will know it."

"Speaking of which," Furu interrupted, interjecting in a voice that was warm with calm, "I haven't done this in about three hundred years. Sashe, would you hand me that?" The request distracted her and she gave him a short-bladed knife with a shaky hand, which he then used to slice through the thick thread. "Sesshoumaru, do you know how I learned to do this?"

"No, and I do not care."

"Your father. Did you ever get a good look at his legs?"

"What sort of question is that?" Sesshoumaru asked impatiently.

"He had a faint scar on the left one. Pretty rare on a youkai. You know why that was? During one of those campaigns against the cats all those years ago, he had someone come up behind him with this huge hatchet and split the left calf like a melon. The thing nearly cleaved through bone. It was amazing. But when you're in a situation like that, you don't have the option of withdrawing to allow yourself to heal properly, you have to make do, and so do you know what I did for that old hound?"

"I suppose you will tell me whether I ask or not."

"I took the needle we used to repair saddles," Furu went on, undaunted, his attention never wavering from the slow work on Rin, "and I got some of the twine we used to bundle mail, and sewed the bastard up like a dress. It was incredibly ugly, and what made it worse was that he kept ripping the stitches open in those battles, and I kept redoing it so he'd be able to use that leg without his boots filling up with blood. That's where the scar came from."

"You managed to scar a taiyoukai with your fumbling?" Sesshoumaru repeated crossly. He directed an irritable claw toward Rin. "Then step away from that woman."

"I didn't do this one in a hurry. I didn't have anyone breathing down my neck with a sword, unless I should count you for that," Furu replied, snipping the last bit of thread, and his expression changed, lips curling upward with vague humor as he bent toward Rin's face. "But I have to say my timing is still impeccable. Welcome back, young lady. You're the only bit of good news we've had today."

* * *

It was like drifting in a heavy haze, a warm current, alternately punctuated by low voices, like the murmurings of ghosts, and then, more insistently, by a stinging pain that reverberated as though chasing that current of unintelligible speech. For the most part, she was allowed to remain in that semi-awareness, despite the fact that there was one person nearby, one person she very much wanted to speak to …. 

She sunk lower for a moment, and there was a dizzying shift, vaporous, and a cheerful voice was saying, _"You and I will be friends."_

Friends? With a demon? _Rin so rarely came upon such a request that she'd had no idea how to respond immediately, had simply stood mute until this strange, fair-haired girl grinned disarmingly, exposing a set of white fangs._

"_That wasn't an order, by the way. Just an observation; you have the sort of face I will be able to get along with."_

"_Do you normally have problems getting along with others?" Rin questioned, hoping her voice did not sound suspicious. She had come across that sort of youkai more times than she could count, and she was still trying to discern exactly what had provoked this girl into walking through Sesshoumaru's front door without so much as a knock, and apparently only for the sake of informing Rin that they would be friends._

"_Don't we all?" the girl sighed, as though it was some personal failing. "But I think I have an easier temperament than the others. I'm much better adjusted than Sesshoumaru, so there's at least that." She extended a hand like a princess asking to be helped down from a litter. "My name is Shinya. And you are Rin."_

"_Shinya."_

_The girl's golden head turned at this intrusion, and Rin's eyes lifted from the proffered hand to Sesshoumaru, who was suddenly lurking in the doorway, arms folded with the air of someone who has just been severely inconvenienced._

_Shinya waved him off. "Wait your turn. You should not interrupt a friendly introduction. It's bad manners. That was one of Inutaisho-oji-sama's favorite sayings, don't you remember?"_

Did she really just reprimand him?_ Rin wondered in surprise. She blinked when the girl turned toward her once more and wiggled the fingers on the extended hand. Rin hesitantly reached out and clasped the warm fingers._

"_Friends," Shinya repeated in a soft voice, settling the matter. "I will write to you, and since Sesshoumaru will likely destroy the initial letter, I'll send a second one by a different courier. Please write back, I would enjoy it very much." She smiled kindly and then turned on Sesshoumaru as though just remembering that he was there. "I want something from you," she said bluntly._

"_Is there any other reason why you would walk into my home unannounced?"_

_The smile widened and the tone became sweetly placating. "That sounds almost petulant. Have I been neglecting you? That is because I was certain that you did not like me."_

"_I don't like you," he verified._

"_I enjoy you for that very reason. I always know what I will get from you, which makes you completely irreplaceable."_

_Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed to suspicious golden slits. "What do you want?"_

_She moved closer to him, hands folding as though about to fall into prayer. "I'm going to build a city."_

_A pause. "Go home."_

"_I want permission to build a youkai-centered city," she said firmly. "I've already settled the matter of the location. All I need is your word that you won't rain down upon it in one of your moments of ungodly wrath." She turned back to Rin then, conspiratorial. "He really does hate being left out of things. It's like the one child that isn't allowed to play ball with the others."_

"_You've been spending too much time with that damned bear," Sesshoumaru accused, recognizing the disrespectful words. "And I would not allow you to manage Jaken, much less the building of a city that would be doomed from the start. Youkai do not function well in close quarters. It would be a disaster."_

_Another exasperated look was cut at Rin. "Do you know that the only youkai that are taken seriously around here are the ones that are gloriously tall and practically gleaming with perfection? Like my sister and like this man. They congratulate themselves in their superiority. He underestimates me, and I have challenged him to fight me several times. He always refuses."_

"_I would destroy you." The response was mild, bored._

"_Possibly, but I would earn your respect," she countered. "I told you long ago that I would do that. For whatever reason, you seem to think I am something that I am not. I am not Sashe. One day you will think better of me. I haven't accomplished that goal yet, and so I will continue until I do." _

"_Defying me is not a way to earn my respect."_

_She smiled sweetly. "Yes, it is. I am as certain of that as I am of my own name. I will build you a city, Sesshoumaru-sama, and one day, you will be very proud of it. Count on it."_

That sucking void pulled her away from the memory and the voices that had come with it; the coating of darkness slowly began to brighten, bringing with it another voice, but not the one she wanted. She felt a wave of utter despair, a desolation represented by shouts and the flashing of metal and the feel of golden fur soaked red, finally brought down, and Rin left to defend someone she could not. Something clenched around her heart, squeezing like the grip of a merciless hand; she wanted so badly to hear his voice, she thought she would cry or scream, but all she did was wake. There was an unimaginable ache of a sort she had never experienced, something that stretched from head to toe, to the very marrow of her bones. And there was also a soft yellow light, twin golden candles that, in her confusion, she at first mistook for a pair of golden eyes. Words came from above then, kindly-spoken …

" … the only bit of good news we've had today."

_Good news?_ she wondered, blinking heavy eyes. She could not see past the death, beyond the vengeful rage of humans, furious men who retaliated for their refusal to submit. They had pulled her away, and they had carved Shinya up like some _thing_, some thing that had never lived or breathed or spoken.

She could not speak back, her throat was so tight, she felt that words would be impossible. All she wanted was _him_, just to see him, if nothing else. The words faded into silence, steps faded into silence, and for a moment she felt certain she had been left completely alone, as alone as she had been in that city with that angry army surrounding her and a dead friend who had fought so hard for them both.

But then there was another sound, some light movement, and she recognized the blurred white form, normally pristine, and now streaked bloody. By her? By Shinya? By those people? She did not know. Part of her wanted to ask, but the greater part of her did not. She closed heavy eyes again, reopened them to find him settled on the floor beside her. Silent, only part of a knee visible, an arm, and the hilt of Tenseiga. She felt immobilized, trapped in an aching body, wishing for him to speak, and he must have read her mind, because it was rare for him to say anything without being provoked by the words of another.

"You did well." A quiet praise. "You've earned your rest, of that I have no doubt."

_Earned?_ It had been failure, such complete and utter failure. A helplessness that came from being so completely useless, always counting on the strength of others to save her. The one time that strength had failed, she had been unable to do anything in return. Her eyes burned so badly, she closed them again, and what she was feeling must have been evident to Sesshoumaru as well, because there was a studied silence and then a warm, solid hand moved to rest lightly on her head.

It made her feel so much better, and so much worse. She did not want to be comforted, but she craved it just the same. The hand remained along with the silence, and so she gave in, to the comfort, to the quiet, and allowed them both to guide her back into sleep.

* * *

He had been unsure of what to say. This was simply not his forte. Sesshoumaru was generally capable of little more than alternate bouts of annoyance and indifference, and on more infrequent occasions, affection. That last was mostly reserved for that one woman, the one who had laid there with an expression of such profound exhaustion and deep misery, it had left him with no idea of how to respond. It was something he had never seen in her before. He could not easily feel things of that nature, and so he did not know whether to fumble toward some dishonest attempt or do what he was best at, remaining nearby until she made clear what she needed. He, certainly, was not one to understand what that was without her help. 

After a long while, he left her in that sleep, feeling rather sorry for this poor girl who was bruise-blackened and suffering from something that could not be stitched by that idiot bear. The fortress was dark and utterly silent, and so he was surprised to find Lien lingering quietly by the dying fire, eyes fixated on the sparking embers. His intent had been to leave her to her thoughts, to escape, really, because it would be more of the same, a need for words he was not equipped to give. He disliked the fact that Shinya was gone, despite the often unkind things he had said to and about her, but there was not this devastation, not like what he was seeing in these people around him.

"Sesshoumaru?"

She caught him and he turned, silent, waiting.

"Is there really nothing you can do? Is this a fight you're settling with him? Because if so, I am begging you to---"

"Not even I would settle an argument in this way. Shinya is separate from any problem I have with Kanaye," he replied, forcing his voice to be kinder than it tended to be.

She nodded silently at that, gaze reverting momentarily to the fire. "I think I have done something evil," she confided in barely more than a whisper, green eyes flickering upward to him. "What I said was so cruel, I barely recognize it. And yet, do you know that I am so angry that I cannot apologize? If I look at him, I am afraid I will say something worse."

Sesshoumaru eyed the woman. She so eerily resembled his mother; it was times like these, when Lien was so empty and expressionless, that he could almost imagine that this is how she would have appeared now, so unchanged even after so long. "You call yourself evil for what you have said, and yet you dismiss my behavior as little more than a short temper. You have an odd sense of blame."

She shook her head at him. "When you hurt someone you love so fiercely, it becomes a heavy burden. I have done that to Kanaye, and he has done that to Shinya, but I am not kind enough to see beyond myself. I could scream for how much I both hate and love that man. He is so unbearable and still capable of so much … I do not know what to call it. Is it love? Is it loyalty? I do not know." The eyes became dark with pain. "He said something to me tonight, he offered something to me, and that was what stopped me. I was so angry, and he was so very calm, and he said there was only one thing he could give me. The very words were heart-breaking, I could not stand to hear them."

Sesshoumaru regarded her silently. What should one say to that? He had an idea of what that offer had been, and so he asked carefully, "Where is he?"

"He's with her," Lien said quietly, nodding toward a dark corridor, which led to the room that held what remained of Shinya. "I cannot move. I cannot try to sleep. I am listening for him." She smiled shakily then, suddenly looking more like herself. "And Rin is safe. I am so thankful for that, because you have lost enough. Her spirit is genuine, human or not, and you are very fortunate to have her near you."

Again, he was caught for words. The very air around him was heavy with misery, thick with this undercurrent of grief, and yet she had found kind words to spare for a human girl that he had expected to be a silent source of shame for her and for the others. In that, at least in that moment, she especially resembled his mother, who had had only a little kindness to spare for others, but what she had extended had been honest and heartfelt.

"May I ask you a favor, Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes."

She got to her feet then and moved toward him, arms folding into sleeves for warmth, even though the room was unbearably hot in his estimation. "I am going to write a letter," she said softly, "and I hope you will see that it is delivered. I will not ask you to do it yourself; you need to remain here for reasons we both understand, but there are others at your disposal, are there not?"

"Where is the letter to go?" he questioned, expecting the answer to be her father, or her sister-in-law, and so he was quite surprised by her admission.

"That human woman," Lien began haltingly, expression unsure. "The girls … they have told me that she handles him very well. I cannot comfort him, I am not capable of it, but I think that is more her realm now than mine. Do you know how to reach her?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru admitted, "but they seem to have parted badly. It may not go the way you intend. And it will strike her as odd, a mistress being summoned by a mate. She may not come at all."

Lien's expression became wholly affectionate, making him curious as to what he had said to garner such a reaction. "You are dear to me, do you know? I am grateful that you are here, I truly am, but I recognize your limits, one of those being an unshakeable streak of pessimism. I do not expect you to understand the heart of a woman, but I can promise you this: if she cares for him as much as I have been assured that she does, then she will be here, and I hope that she can do what I cannot."

"You have requested no shortage of miracles today," Sesshoumaru quietly admonished.

She smiled sadly. "Then I was right in directing my requests to you, wasn't I? You are capable of miraculous things. And despite the fact that you resent every moment of charity, I am certain that gift was given to the right man."

* * *

**This feels a little weird. Maybe that's mostly because it's so chocked full of drama. But I'm actually really looking forward to digging into Rin as a character a bit more. She's always seemed a bit underdeveloped, so I hope this goes the way I'm planning.**

**And you all realize I'm building up so much of this just for the excuse to write me some Inutaisho, right? xD In case you guys don't know, I love me some Inu-Papa. So, with all of this backstory I've been throwing out, I'm basically giving myself permission to write a full-on flashback chapter from waaaaaay back. So … look forward to it! Or dread it. Or perhaps just be indifferent. I'll leave that to you. xD**

**Speaking of which…squee! Great manga chapters the past few weeks. Of course, it makes me really wish I'd plotted this out now instead of months ago, since I really hate to completely defy the manga, but this is already going, and so I'll roll with the damage. xD**

**On to the reviewers!**

**Ghost140:** Yep, yep! Although, I'm not done twisting things yet. It'll get uglier. This was just me pushing people off of cliffs so that they would respond in some way. Balancing college work with this is already turning out to be tough. Jeez, my teachers are killing me, but I still made my own deadline, so I'm pleased. I'm so jealous of the easy semester. I hope it's still going that way for you!

**Burntbanana:** lol…really? I thought it was a bunch of talking until the army showed up to give Rin and Shinya problems. xD I had actually intended this chapter to be more action-oriented, but I thought, for the sake of future events, it would be better to stick more with what they were thinking than what they were doing. I was really intending to get Inuyasha into this chapter, but it didn't work. He'll definitely be in the next one. As for Kuroshi … hmm, he's an odd one. I can't really say much without messing things up, unfortunately.

**Angaloth:** Ya know, I wasn't sure how he'd react, either. I thought he'd keep his cool for the most part, as he always does. But I figured his thoughts would be a little spastic, so I tried that…lol. Rin didn't die, but Shinya's gone. As for whether she'll be back. I honestly don't know yet. She was the means to roll the conflict, but she doesn't serve a further purpose in this, really. Although, I hate sad endings, so I guess I'll see how it feels later on. Heheh! Is 'fluff' good? I'm not sure. That scene came out of the last few lines, which popped into my head one day. It seemed funny to me to have Sesshoumaru so casually allow that title, when so many other men run shrieking from it…lol. Okay … two reviews from you, so on to the next one … I'm glad you like Furu and Sashe. I struggle with them a bit … not wanting to do too much or too little, so it gets confusing. I feel like Shinya was brushed over a little bit, but I didn't want to take the time to do a bunch of chapters just for the character development of an OC whose only purpose in this is as a catalyst. So I chose to kill her now, and develop her in bits and pieces as it goes along. I'm not sure if we'll actually see her again. I've given myself a way out later on, which I think might be fun and dramatic to write, but I wonder if it'll be cheesy. Bah … I'll see when I get there.

**FluffyTail:** Yep, yep! Much worse, actually. Rin's going to have her own issues … and Kanaye's gonna have his issues … and Sesshoumaru's gonna be dive-bombed with all kinds of crap from their combined load of issues ... lol. And then that adorable Inuyasha is going to come in with a giant spoon and swirl it all up into a mess. I'm glad you liked the character insights. :)

**Midnight Lady:** Heheh … I think this may be the angstiest chapter I've ever written. And if Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha, and Kanaye make you happy when they're together, then you should be pleased in about another chapter or so. I'm going to set them loose and let them torture each other. And ya know, you bring up an interesting point about the reincarnated souls. I hadn't considered that when I was working him out as a character. I suppose reincarnated souls would be along the lines of souls that escaped his 'gathering', which makes sense in terms of both Midoriko and Kikyou, I think. Kuroshi's kind of on the back-burner for now, but more of what he's doing should be in the next chapter. I think that's when he and Sesshoumaru will hash some things out. But you've given me something to think about there. Aww, I'm glad you enjoyed that scene. Sometimes when I write and re-write and re-read over and over, I completely lose the ability to decide if something is in character or not. That was probably on the edge there, but it amused me to have him say something like that … indirectly, of course, kind of nudging Rin to be the one to say it instead of him … rotfl. I'm sooo looking forward to working on those two. I'm about to give them some problems, though. They've been too cute and sweet for too long, so time to throw in a small wrench, but I love nothing better than working people through stuff. Such fun.

**Sandpit:** Bioterrorism! Wow, I hadn't even thought about it like that … but sort of, I guess. It's a bit of a side-effect of something, and I'll leave that there for now. But, yes, there's definitely more to that illness than just background noise. And that's probably the right way to describe Kanaye and Lien: "an odd camaraderie". They're a mixed up pair, but they both know how the other works …lol. Oh, oh!! I so desperately wish I hadn't written off Sesshoumaru's mom as dead in WS. I'd give my left arm (no pun intended, Sesshy) for the chance to write that woman. She's great. I loved her, and she was not at all like I thought she would be. But, yes, she'd have driven Kanaye mad. She's not at all like I thought her out (for WS, and most especially for this one), and I'm sad over that … lol. In my stories, she's Kanaye's idea of perfection. The woman in the manga was not even close. She's going to show up a bit in this one (flashback chapter), but she won't be able to be like Manga!Mom because of what I've already done. :(

**Freakish Child:** Oh, seriously, I was firing off those chapters like a pellet gun for a while there. I got tired … but it was a good tired. I love writer's exhaustion … lol. About Zadi … yeah, that's not in the cards at all at this point. It would be incredibly soap opera-ish. Although, my stories tend toward that direction a lot, I think, but no. I try not to be too incredibly obvious with where I'm going and having her leave over a pregnancy would have been the easy way out. Kanaye did indeed drown himself a hanyou, though. xD

**Fluffy Nabs:** I'm very glad you're that pleased. xD And I'm also happy that the alerts appear to be functioning normally again. That was driving me crazy. I hope your semester is going better than mine. So hectic! Hopefully this chapter was worth racing over to read. If not, my profoundest apologies. I've never gotten a scathing review before. I'm surely due for one at some point … lol.

**New Fan:** Indeed, you were right. He brought down that city, though Kanaye handled the dirtier stuff. I really didn't want to damage Sesshoumaru's character (in my mind) by having him kill off children. That doesn't seem like something he would do, even as awful as he is able to be. Kanaye, on the other hand, is entirely capable of it when he goes into berserk mode. I kind of feel bad about what I did to Rin and Shinya, but it's going to let me write so much drama down the road, it makes me giddy. I'm such a dork. xD It would put Kanaye off, wouldn't it? But I also felt sure it would really ruin his character, even OC that he is. It's not something he would accept easily, or even allow, I don't think. He's very serious about hanyou. As for the illness … that's something that's going to take a little while to develop, so I can't just outright say at the moment.

**Teela:** Good, I'm happy when things are unexpected … lol. I will definitely be continuing this story. With fic-writing, I think the longest break I've ever had between chapters is a month, so I tend not to drop things. I ended up glossing over some of what happened to the city for the sake of keeping things from dragging too much, but I'll go back into what each of them did and what happened with Rin and Shinya later on. But, I agree … pissed Sesshoumaru and Kanaye makes it difficult to maintain the rating. ;)

**Koyuki-san:** Well, welcome back! I'm glad you liked WS enough to re-read it … it's a pretty long time investment … lol. See, as I've said before, OCs bother me, too, but I'm a little weird. I really like character development that comes indirectly. For instance, if there's a certain type of character that does not exist in order for me to develop or show Sesshoumaru or whoever in a certain way, I create them. There have been a few exceptions (Zadi, for one, a plot device that developed a life of its own, and Shinya, who was mentioned in the last story just from random continuity for RP). But, for instance, Furu: For me, his purpose in these stories is to show someone who is allowed to get away with digging at Sesshoumaru like a buddy, as well as showing a little bit of Inutaisho. Sesshoumaru doesn't have any canon "friends" that I can use in that way. Kanaye was created for several reasons: 1) As a bit of a "reflection" of Inutaisho. Inutaisho is dead, and I wanted a bit of him here and there, so … voila … little brother! 2) A thorn in Sesshoumaru's side. I was trying to "fix" Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru a bit, so there still needed to be someone there to stir things up with little provocation. 3) As someone who could put a spin on Sesshoumaru as some snot-nosed, up-and-coming kid, as opposed to how nearly everyone else sees him. There was no one else to give me that. So on and so on, and I know I'm babbling, but I tend to do that. I don't feel like the canon characters are getting the "air-time" they need in this yet, but that is not due to oversight, I promise. There are some things pertaining to the OCs that had to be taken care of at the beginning, so that I can dig in with the canons. Heheh … yes, Kanaye has been pretty obnoxious so far, but he's going to get worse. He's losing it a bit at the moment, actually … lol. That's also going to get worse. Thank you about Shinya. I was kind of sad to deal with her the way I did, but I really can't resist drama. No one is safe, if it means I can write a fun scene. And the fun scenes will come later on, thanks to Shinya's sacrifice. ;) Aww, I was sad to kill Isamu, but it amused me to send him off like that. Very Housenki-like, and that's where I got that. I loved how Housenki just up and decided one day that he was going to die … lol. Thank you also about Sesshoumaru and Rin! I often feel weird about those scenes, but I try for them anyway just because I love them. And poor Rin … she's in for a tough time, so that's going to give me lots of opportunities to play around with those two. Heheh … like I mentioned in another response, I was so amused by the "wife" thing. That is basically what she is, though, and he'd never say that, so he made her do it. The coward. xD


	6. Hidden Intention

**6 – Hidden Intention**

The human body was fascinating in its fragility, and so frustrating it made Sesshoumaru blackly wonder how the species had managed to persevere despite its own rather alarming limitations. Lien had accused him of miraculous things, but the true wonder was how _those people_ managed to survive the rigors of daily existence at all. Such minor things could so easily wrench away their health and plunge them into a physiological decay that inevitably led to another type of decomposition altogether. Illnesses that would not have the gall to touch a youkai descended upon the humans like locusts on a lush field. Injuries that would heal within an hour for him, without the faintest flicker of concern, would refuse to follow the natural healing course and destroy a human body with astonishing ease.

He could feel the heat coming off of her. Something had changed, and he did not know what it was or what it meant precisely, but as Rin slept he had watched it come, a silent, invisible predator. The source of it was that scarred shoulder and, in a sense of wonder over these strange beings, he found that he could simply allow the palm of his hand to hover above the wound and _feel_ the heat rising from it, like some internal blaze. It made him grateful for the constancy of the youkai constitution, and it also made him quietly plot the theft of a human physician from … _somewhere_.

It felt strange to him, how matters repeated themselves in such odd and unexpected ways, because now, as he sat and watched this woman do little else but breathe, he could recall his father's wry recount of the Ayakami disaster and his own attempts to track down a human who would be willing to save an ailing youkai lord and a younger brother. It had not been a doctor that had been needed that time, but a priest, and Inutaisho had been unsuccessful in recruiting that aid.

_But I am not him_, Sesshoumaru thought grimly. _And my code of behavior is a good deal more flexible than his was._

She was exhausted, and perhaps that was making it seem worse. The skin under her eyes was gray with that all-consuming weariness, mottled like the rest of her. She would rouse at unpredictable intervals and blearily eye her surroundings, as though making sure they remained constant, before returning to that sleep that seemed to be doing little to regenerate her. The silence was what bothered him most; in the day and a half since she had been brought back from Hokido, she had barely said a word, not to him or to anyone else, and he wondered if that was some silent condemnation for what she must surely _know_ he had done. It again reminded him of her younger self, but that had been a cheerful silence, and this was something else. Truly, he had never seen her in such a state, and it was disconcerting beyond words.

The ancient door cracked open then, emitting the barest of creaks, and Furu entered, expression one of escape.

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked suspiciously.

"Zadi's here," he explained grimly. "And to be honest, I don't really want to witness that meeting. Lien may not want the bastard anymore, but she's still a female and she's still a youkai, and that's a bad combination. If the fur's going to fly, I don't want to be in the middle of it. But I thought I'd let you know," he indicated Rin with a gesture, "I greeted her first so I'd be able to get a word in about Rin. She handles that sort of stuff in her own village, right?"

"I wouldn't know," Sesshoumaru replied, casting an unwelcome glare at Furu as the overly large man dropped next to him, folding massive legs in crossed fashion. "What are you doing?"

"I think I screwed that up somehow," Furu admitted guiltily, gesturing a vague hand toward Rin.

"That is a safe assumption."

"She said anything?"

"No." Sesshoumaru knew that Furu had already taken two trips back to Hokido in an attempt to locate Shinya's heart, and he had been as unsuccessful as Sesshoumaru and Kanaye had been. "And I will not ask her. If those people knew enough to remove it in the first place, then they knew how to ensure that she would not be revived."

Furu's expression became bleak, and he confided in a low voice, "I've got to get this fixed. Sashe's been crying all day. She sent them for tea, you know, that's why they went. Then she found it after they had already left, underneath these boxes that the servants had mishandled. That's a tough thing to live with. Do you know what she told me? She said that now the tea smells bad to her, too. I'd have laughed if it wasn't so damned sad."

"She has a penchant for being overly dramatic," Sesshoumaru murmured, thoughts settled elsewhere.

Furu quieted at that, and then initiated a dizzying change in subject. "You know, you and I are a lot alike."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I'm serious. We were both mostly raised by one parent, we both had mothers who hardly fit the standard mold. We both inherited our titles at ridiculously young ages, and we've both somehow managed to keep them. And like you, your dad really set me straight and taught me a lot. He was a better friend than I deserved, and I worked my ass off to become something that would warrant the trust he placed in me." Furu turned a sly look on Sesshoumaru. "Sound familiar?"

"Not at all," came the wry reply.

Furu grinned at that, then looked toward the sleeping Rin and his expression became more thoughtful. "When I met Sashe, I found this beautiful woman who wanted nothing more than kindness from me, and though you would disagree, I can tell you it's very easy to be kind to her. I met her sister, who was this bizarre creature: sweet, well-mannered little princess … impish troublemaker … and, when the case called for it, as vicious and calculating a dog as her old man. I learned from her what it was like to be someone's big brother, and if I never have that back, then I will be grateful for what there was. Then there was Lien, who taught me what it was like to have the sort of mother most people have, the kind that spoils you until you nearly suffocate from the deluge of attention." There was a pause, and then the tone became somber. "And then there's that sad, creepy bastard downstairs. I said I hate him, but I don't. I cannot hate a man that turned out women like those two … Sashe and Shinya. He's worthwhile if for no other reason than that."

"Are you stumbling toward a point, Furu?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," Furu murmured, glancing at Sesshoumaru once more, all seriousness. "Those people have become my family; they're my only family, blood-related or not. I'd do anything for them, and at the moment that includes pissing you off by sitting on you until you give me what I want." The easy grin returned and he held up defensive hands. "Figuratively-speaking, of course."

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked, though he could safely guess and he was surprised by his own lack of resentment. There had been so many pleas over the past two days; from Lien and from Sashe and now from Furu. It made him feel like a lone soldier being shoved out onto a battlefield against an impossible opponent. He felt uncertain whether he wanted to staunchly refuse or pick up his weapon and see to the task. He most certainly did not want to try for something and fail, and this would be almost certain failure.

He turned veiled golden eyes on Furu, waiting, and found an earnest face staring back at him.

"Bring her back," Furu requested in a low voice, as though afraid to say it aloud. "I don't know how you're going to do it, but you're pretty damned resourceful when you have to be. Unfortunately, that ability doesn't usually kick in unless a certain human woman is involved, and so now I'm going to manipulate you in the most shameless manner I can devise, and I hope you'll forgive me." He pointed once more toward Rin, but his eyes never left Sesshoumaru's. "She's about as miserable as the rest of us feel, and I know you can at least summon some meager speck of sympathy for her. If you can find a way to correct this, you will lift a crushing weight off that girl. She had no business being put into a situation like that, no one in this house really expected her to be able to help Shinya, but our standards and hers are quite different."

Sesshoumaru withheld a worn sigh._ This_ was why he hated Tenseiga's powers of restoration; always, always he was expected to play god and insert himself between these creatures and their inevitable ends. He was always forced to hear these cries. And, as astonished as most people around him would be to hear it, Sesshoumaru did _not_ consider himself a god. There were some things that were meant to be left alone, and he felt that Shinya's death was one of those things. However, Furu had indeed brought up his most motivating factor. He returned his gaze to Rin and felt himself relent, both in posture and speech.

"I will go see Kuroshi," he agreed quietly. "I cannot avoid it any longer, and the timing calls for it. I intend to speak with him, but I believe there is little he will be able to do. At most perhaps he will be able to argue on her behalf."

"Argue with who?"

"His … other half," Sesshoumaru said, unable to think of the proper term. "There are two sides to the gate. Kuroshi guards for the west and sends the humans through, the other side is watched by someone I only know of as the Serpent King. He is something like Kuroshi's master, and he guards the other side in order to prevent the souls of youkai from returning to the living world."

"Balance," Furu murmured. "Heh. The humans want in and the youkai want out. Not surprising."

"In a sense."

"So you think this Kuroshi could talk His Highness into giving Shinya back?"

"Perhaps."

Furu made an amused sound then and unfolded his legs, rising to his feet. "I prepared that long-ass speech, set on wearing you down until you gave in … and you'd already worked out a plan, hadn't you? Damned cryptic mutt."

"I _did_ tell you to get to the point," Sesshoumaru reminded him with a faint scowl.

"There's another reason to bring her back, Sesshoumaru," Furu went on then in a quieter voice. "If you can do it, you might be able to stave off that avalanche we all see coming. Either way, you've got some hard work ahead of you." His demeanor changed completely then and he gave a lopsided grin. "It's probably time to go rescue Zadi. I'll send her up."

Sesshoumaru said nothing to that, mind already turning inward to the myriad of problems he had to consider. In truth, he had been avoiding Kuroshi; he did not want to hear what the man wanted, because there were only two possibilities Sesshoumaru could think of: one wish was utterly beyond his willingness to give and the other was a source of helpless dread, like a stick of lit dynamite clutched in one hand. It would go off, of that he had no doubt, but there was always hope that it would be another century, another millennia. It was his father's debt, but he would have to repay it.

He was so caught in his thoughts, he did not notice the change in breathing, in heartbeat, and when he looked to Rin once more he found those dark eyes open and watching him with blank confusion. She looked overly warm and her eyes had a strange brightness to them _(what the hell is keeping Zadi downstairs?)_ But she had been quiet for so long, he was nearly surprised when she spoke, a hoarse whisper.

"You look worried."

He blinked at that and forced his expression to become kinder. "You are delirious," he countered, then added, "Zadi has arrived. She will know more about what to do for you than we will."

"I thought I saw her." A whisper that was both regretful and hopeful.

"Who?

"Shinya."

"That was likely Lien," he explained quickly. "She was with you earlier."

"Sesshoumaru …."

"Yes?"

"I heard … you're going to do something for her?" the voice cracked with growing emotion.

"I am going to try." _If for no other reason than you_, he thought silently, _because this is not something I can allow_. She became restless then and moved to sit up, a motion he halted with one hand against hot skin. "I do not know all of what happened, and I suppose you will tell me at some point, but for now I will say only this," his voice became softer and very serious. "No one can look at you now and not believe that you went beyond your limits. You did only what you could, and, in my estimation, you did far too much."

"Shinya …"

"… was a lot of very frustrating things; she had a heart that could not decide whether it was human or youkai, and up until recently that has been a source of great irritation to me. But I can tell you that if she were here now, she would be glad to have had a human friend who remained with her and she would have told you what _I_ am telling you now, and that is that her priority in that battle had to be you. She was capable of absorbing damage that you could not, and so she did the right thing." He paused then, and voiced something that was even truer for himself. "If you believe you weakened her, you are wrong. I am certain you gave her a reason to fight even harder."

A wrapped hand passed over her eyes, and he could not tell if it was from weariness or a desire to cry, but she spoke in a voice he hardly recognized. "Hokido … they have these … are they priests? They were what brought her down. She was fine, we were fine, until they came. But … they did something, some chant. Suddenly, she just wasn't there any longer. She just …."

In his mind's eye, Sesshoumaru saw that group of exterminating priests that had lined up against him with such misplaced certainty. So he had been right in assuming they had been the deciding factor in Shinya's battle. But it sounded as though they had managed to kill the girl on their own, and that _did_ surprise him. He had assumed that they had weakened her and that the army had finished her, but it seemed as though it had been the other way around. Shinya's supreme confidence in her abilities had always been a subject of derision for him, but in honesty, he knew that she had been a hard worker, a willing student of overly-qualified instructors; defeating her should have taken far more than a wayward chant from a pack of priests.

"…and the whole time … the whole time I was thinking: 'She has died, but it will be fine. If I can keep them from her, Tenseiga will …'" The hand lowered and she met his gaze with an expression that was tired and tearful. "She started the fires in the city so that you would see that something was wrong and you would come …"

Sesshoumaru's thoughts turned back to that short exchange with Kanaye, when the man had asked if he heard a fire. He had been quick to dismiss it; the smells from Ayakami had blocked the scent of smoke and the setting sun had masked the flames. "We came, but we were late," he admitted quietly.

Rin nodded at that, stiffly pulling one arm up for distant inspection. The flesh had been all but eaten by the ropes that had tied her to the gate, and the arm had been neatly wrapped with what had been on hand, mostly cloth left over from preparations for a ceremony that was far from everyone's mind. The eyes blinked wearily, and then slid toward him once more.

"You destroyed them, I think," she whispered the fear.

"You are right."

"It was the army, not the people. They---"

"I did not have the inclination to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty," he admitted.

"There were women and children ---"

"I realize that."

"Can you revive them?"

"I will not." He surprised himself with his own vehemence and he disliked the fact that she was no longer looking at him. "You can ask nearly anything of me, but this one thing I will not do. I will not apologize for it. There was more to it than my own personal satisfaction, which, I assure you, was immense. If I had left that unanswered, it would have been disastrous. I _cannot_ allow a human settlement to so openly strike against me without an answer. It would undermine me in the minds of both the humans and the western youkai. It would embolden your people and it would rile mine. I could not allow for it."

"There were _children_, Sesshoumaru."

"Yes, there were, and though I do not believe any of them died directly by my hand, I will not swear to it. I would do it again without hesitation. If that distresses you, then for that I _am_ sorry, but that is the only apology I am able to give."

Her eyes were glassy from heat and bitterness. "I cannot understand the pride of youkai. If you regain a feared reputation by climbing to the very top of a heap of bodies, then who will there be to congratulate you when you are there?"

He said nothing to that, not surprised by the reproach. He had known she would not react well to the civilian deaths of Hokido, and he was prepared to endure her displeasure over it. But for the moment, at least, that displeasure seemed short-lived, because the face softened and the darkened eyes returned to him, weary and warmer now. She extended a hand and he reached automatically to accept it.

"Sesshoumaru … thank you for coming for us."

The words lifted something off of him, a weight, and this time it was his turn to look away as he brushed off the gratitude with dismissive speech. "Do not thank me for something so obvious …"

* * *

Zadi came from a culture that did not place much faith in karma, but if such an entity did exist, she was certain it had squarely locked its sights on Kanaye. She had not seen him in nearly six months; on that wintry day, he had stood at the threshold of his home, sullen, unrepentant, and she had been positively white-knuckled with rage. Now, as she mentally prepared for a meeting she had long been dreading, she felt it was safe to assume that karma was also snickering at her behind one intangible hand. 

To be honest, she had not felt ready to see him before the letter had arrived. There had always been the intent to return to him; he was a cruel, vindictive, callous man … but he was also other things, things she did not have words for. He was not precisely devoted or loving or kind, but one could find spare traces of those things if they looked past the words and the deeds. To her, he was something like a treasure hunt, in that she was so often disappointed, but when she found something, it was so beautiful it made everything worthwhile and renewed her passion to look for more. She supposed that said as much about her as it did about him.

She had intended to wait until the fall, to continue repairing the damage that had been done to the leadership of her village, to give herself time to forgive, and to give him time to understand that her indulgence of him had limits. But she knew enough to understand that the best way and, really, the only way to strike a truly fatal blow to Kanaye was through his children, no matter what he said. And that was why she had come, to be with him and to face this woman. There was not enough spite in her to stay away.

Her first glimpse of Lien had been rather heart-wrenching, just for the fact that the woman was nearly identical to Shinya, a paler version, nearly translucent in a sort of wispy prettiness that made Zadi feel clunky and graceless in comparison. She had struggled for the right words to say, and she had composed several adequate greetings, but the trip had been courtesy of Sesshoumaru's two-headed dragon beast and, for that reason, it had been exceptionally short. Now, as she eyed her somewhat rival, the words fled her mind, and surprisingly, Lien quickly put her out of her misery.

"Let me say first," Lien began without preamble, gaze forthright as it locked in on Zadi's face, "that I am inexpressibly grateful that you have come. To be honest, my intent was never to lay eyes on you, and I am certain you felt the same way. It is not from dislike, but I am certain you can understand." There was a pause and the green eyes became distant with a shadowy pain. "Things are very difficult at the moment and I do not know if I will be able to be overly kind to you, and so for that I will apologize now."

Zadi blinked, unsure of what to say, because she was certain that in all of her mental rehearsals, she had not imagined this odd mixture of kindness and brutal honesty. She had pictured a haughty, unhappy princess, mostly thanks to Kanaye, who so often indulged in unforgiving judgments of people. She had prepared herself for condemnation, not an apology.

"I … don't need an apology," Zadi murmured, forcing herself to meet that honest stare. "I could not have stayed away."

"That's very brave. I am not so certain I would be bold enough to look a lover's mate in the eye as you have done," Lien answered slowly. "However, that is where you and I differ … not in boldness, but in courage. My lack of that is what brought us both to where we are now." She smiled thinly then and moved a few steps toward the door so that she could reach for a bucket of water and a small pile of cloths. She extended them toward Zadi without explanation. "And so now I will leave him to you … and to that courage."

* * *

_It was one measured swing, controlled, and it connected just short of her face, slicing away a thick segment of golden hair, which fluttered to the ground, a casualty to the girl's defiance, her determination, and, truly, her unapologetic stubbornness. Kanaye pulled back, as did Shinya. She was gasping for breath, a skinny thing that barely looked capable of two-handing the blade she was swinging like a third appendage. _

_He smiled meanly and bent to retrieve the sectioned clump of hair, bowing mockingly as he extended it back to her. Her face reddened with childish anger and she snatched it from his fingers, hurling it back to the ground in growing temper. She extended the same hand then and gestured impatiently. "Come," the order was clipped, and she readjusted her grip on the hilt once more, hands slick. He took the invitation._

_He was trying to make her understand her weakness, which was her tiresome propensity for watching the hands instead of the legs and the eyes. Those always betrayed an opponent first, and he was purposefully throwing her off, feinting with the hands and then revealing his true intent with body language, but she was furious, humiliated, and astonishingly slow-witted this day. This time he made it a good deal more obvious, swung half-heartedly, a move she easily blocked, and then took advantage of the close contact by smoothly repositioning a leg and tripping her feet out from under her. The girl hit the dirt, and he stood back again, sneering._

"_How long are you going to keep this up? I'm growing terribly bored."_

_And then that other voice spoke, the one that belonged to the individual he had been soundly ignoring for the last several minutes. When Inutaisho drew near his home, Kanaye always wondered which man would arrive: the one who was patronizingly affectionate … or the one who enjoyed nothing more than trying to leash him after a fit of bad behavior. One Inutaisho was the older brother and one Inutaisho was the western lord, two very separate people._

"_Whatever you're trying to teach her, there has got to be a kinder way to do it," came that familiar low voice, its owner pacing forward until he drew up alongside Kanaye. _

"_Kind?" Kanaye repeated contemptuously, casting a cursory glance over Inutaisho's calm demeanor before falling into easy complaint. "She _asked_ me for this. This child is exhausting. We've been at it since yesterday afternoon, and I can't make her stop. I'm going to have to break something soon, because I'm starving."_

"_What did you do to her?"_

"_You bastard. I didn't do a damned thing."_

_Inutaisho absorbed that and looked to the obviously frustrated girl. "Why are you doing this, Shinya?" he asked kindly._

"_No particular reason, Oji-sama," she replied in a worn voice, still gripping the sword at the ready, clearly anticipating that Kanaye would make use of the distraction of conversation to come at her. And, indeed, she was right to be paranoid, because he had considered it._

"_Liar," Kanaye accused blandly, and he lowered his sword, sight roving back to his brother. "She's just too embarrassed to tell you. You remember those two boars that lurk near wolf territory? The twins? They picked a fight with her, and she was an overconfident idiot. She's a goddamned nightmare at strategy. They ended it pretty quickly."_

"_She lost?" Inutaisho asked, tone turning wry. "Then why am I certain that they are somehow dead anyway?"_

_Kanaye's answering smile was satisfied. "Because you would be right. I have little patience for people who pick on an opponent half their size."_

_There was a short, barking laugh at that. "Your sense of justice is fascinating. Weren't they about half _your_ size? Shall I also begin listing the humans …?"_

"_I fail to see your point," Kanaye replied airily, shrugging armored shoulders. "And I suppose I forgot to mention that that rule is enforced at my discretion."_

"_Of course," Inutaisho said with a knowing nod. "And if I recall correctly, that girl's father was quite the 'strategic nightmare' when he was her age. Somehow he was trained out of it, and it will be the same for her." He cast an open smile at the restless Shinya. "Don't let him discourage you."_

"_He's full of shit," Kanaye corrected Shinya, before turning back to Inutaisho with a faint scowl. "Why the hell are you here?"_

_The expression was mild, but there was an obvious hue of warning. "I've heard that you have been wandering a bit closer to a certain village, and for no valid reason that I can find. Interestingly, a human woman lives in that village, as does a half-demon infant of particular interest to me …"_

"_Is that so?" Kanaye smiled grimly. "You can drop the pretense, you smarmy bastard. I know exactly who that half-demon is and I will tell you now: I have about as much interest in your human slut and your half-breed as I do in your daily grooming habits. It's a coincidence, I assure you, so feel free to sleep easily tonight … if that woman will climb off of you long enough to allow it."_

_Inutaisho's face maintained its humorless half-smile, but there was a blackness behind the eyes that Kanaye knew well. He listened to the words, which were whispered in a tone that was laced with threat._

"_Be grateful that your daughter is watching."_

"_Are you going to hide behind a little girl, Nii-sama?"_

_Inutaisho ignored that. "There is a river that cross-sections that village. If you cross it at all, for any reason, I will know it and my next visit will not be nearly so polite."_

"_Well, then, I know how to reach you if the need arises don't I?" came the sarcastic reply, but then his face changed, experienced one of those dizzying mood shifts, and Kanaye held up one finger as though in demonstration, grinning evilly. "Watch this and you will see why she lost."_

_Kanaye stepped forward once more, meeting the gaze of his angry daughter, who tightened her stance in readiness. He lunged as though to swing for the throat, and she hauled her sword up in a silvery flash, but the weapon she had meant to block was gone before she could blink and his free hand encircled her throat from a direction she had not been anticipating._

"_Truly, you are lucky you even made it home," Kanaye complained, releasing her with a light backward shove. He returned to Inutaisho's side, eyebrows upraised, and found his brother eyeing Shinya in careful thought. _

"_Shinya," Inutaisho called gently, "your eyes are not focusing where they should be."_

"_Sure, make it easy for her."_

_Inutaisho moved toward the exhausted girl, who was filthy and breathing heavily, sword resting against the earth as a sort of prop for shaking legs. Kanaye watched as his brother bent to her level and whispered something into her ear, a murmur beyond his hearing. Finally, she nodded and he drew back._

"_I will show you," Inutaisho said graciously, turning to face Kanaye once more. This time, however, there was a new opponent and Tessaiga was pulled free. Inutaisho cast an admonishing look over one shoulder, gathering Shinya's attention. "Be sure to keep an eye on what I told you to watch." _

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kanaye demanded._

"_You are not so perfect," Inutaisho replied with a dispassionate smile. "Even the scariest of us have our weaknesses, and I'm about to display yours to both you and her."_

_Kanaye smirked and raised his own sword. "Oh, please teach me, Nii-sama."_

_Inutaisho made that subtle transformation from brother to lord, and Tessaiga was extended in open challenge. "There are many things that I should have taught you and failed. Come when you're ready_, _Yaye-kun," the loathed nickname poured from Inutaisho's lips in a mocking whisper._

_The first impact produced a glaring blaze of golden sparks, and left the two demons shoving against each other, each refusing to give in, to relinquish the offense. Kanaye planted his feet and pushed Inutaisho back a step; Tessaiga replied with a slashing arc that was barely deflected. It shoved Kanaye's arms downward and he leapt back as the blade swung just past his throat, nicking a shoulder. The battle degenerated from a lesson into a heated exchange of blows; there was the ringing of steel and frustrated exhalations of breath and muttered curses. Kanaye cut suddenly upward, nearly relinquishing his brother's hand of several fingers. Inutaisho's eyes were fixated on him in calm appraisal and there was a readjustment of stance. Inutaisho prepared to pull back and Kanaye took advantage of the defensive movement by sweeping out a claw swipe toward the neck, which connected, splattering blood against the two embattled demons. _

_Kanaye realized his mistake a moment too late, understood that the supposed defensive movement had actually been anything but. The claw attack had allowed Inutaisho the opportunity to alter his grip on Tessaiga, freeing the fist that drove into Kanaye's chest with unapologetic force. There was a crack like wood snapping and he was suddenly bent on his knees, lungs molten, attempting to pull in painfully hot air that was refusing to come in adequate quantities._

_He lifted his head, glaring hatefully upward, unable to speak. Inutaisho smiled blandly down at him, throat bleeding freely, spreading a crimson stain across immaculate clothing. _

_Nothing was said, and Inutaisho redirected his attention to Shinya, calling casually, "Do you see? Your father loves nothing more than to be allowed an opportunity to go for the throat. Sometimes you have to give him what he wants and then take something else. That can apply to any battle in which you are fighting a substantial opponent." He resheathed Tessaiga and returned to the girl, who appeared stunned by the battle, her own exhaustion forgotten. Inutaisho blocked her view of Kanaye and looked her in the eye, intent on her understanding his instruction. "If you can end the fight by absorbing a hit, then do it, but only if it is one you can stand to take. Do you understand? It tends to help most especially when an opponent is stronger or quicker than you are. I have carefully taught this to Sesshoumaru, and he always comes home."_

"_Then Father is quicker than you are?"_

_Inutaisho glanced indulgently at Kanaye, who was still bent and struggling with lungs that were refusing to function properly. "He likes to think so. But I forgot to mention that it also comes in handy when you need to remind an arrogant little brother of his place ..."_

* * *

Kanaye's head was so full of ghosts, he could barely think straight. It was this place, this cursed hole of misery; it took obscene pleasure in the deaths of those around him and always left him behind to move on as though they had never existed in the first place. It dangled their faces in front of his eyes, disappointed and fearful and angry and mocking and resentful. His ears rang with their voices, each so distinct and familiar even after this long, and he wanted to force his lips to move, to reply, to scream at them that he had not wanted to come, he had no real right to be there at all. He wanted them to leave him. 

_Dammit, just leave._

He lifted his head from half-sleep, gore-crusted arms hung limply over knees that were bent and as coated in dried blood as the rest of him. His face was smeared with the stuff, his hair had come loose and was hanging in a dried, silvery-crimson tangle. He smelled terrible, he reeked of Hokido, and he was all but on his knees in gratitude that he could barely smell _her_.

His eyes lifted to Shinya, who was lying on the other side of the room across a low, draped table. She was mostly covered, and her face and hair had been thoroughly cleaned so that she looked oddly peaceful, like a doll that had been molded into a pose of angelic sleep. It made him nauseous. She smelled like death, but thanks to what had splattered out of the people of Hokido, it was a scent that was blessedly distant.

He did not know what it was exactly, but he felt as though he would follow her soon. The steady ache that had developed during the razing of Hokido had expanded mercilessly, transformed into a wrenching agony that pounded against his insides like some creature that wanted to be loosed from its cage. He was still fully in control, he still held the leash, but he was growing tired, and part of him wanted to let the beast free, to see what would happen. He felt coiled up, on the verge of an explosion, and he both prayed and feared that something would provoke him.

He was not in a right state of mind, he recognized that much; how sane was it to hear the voices of sisters dead for over six centuries? To feel as though he was wavering, stuck between two separate times? He was nearly certain that if he squinted through the dim, orange light he would see himself all of those years ago, ridiculously young and reassuring a frightened girl, telling her that Nii-sama would come and that until then, he would have to leave her there. The others were dead and dying and there was no one else. She was to stay quiet. She was to stay calm. And, above all else, she was not to leave the fortress. He had closed the door on her, and he had stepped willingly into hell, and he had emerged on the other side …

_Like this. I became like this, whatever this is._

He heard the footsteps then, they fell lightly against the stone floor and were so familiar he would have recognized her by that alone. There was suddenly another scent, one that willingly mixed with the decay of Hokido and of Shinya and of him. The door swung slowly open, and he lifted his eyes to the slender form that entered; Zadi slipped inside like a child sneaking into a room that was meant to be off-limits. She was thinner, her hair was much longer, and she was pale. She was also wearing that expression of doe-eyed calm, the one that was so groundingly familiar. It pulled him back from those voices and made him feel like a drowning man who has just been extended a hand in rescue.

"My pet has returned," he heard himself say and did not recognize his own voice.

Zadi said nothing to that, gaze turning solemnly toward Shinya. She moved fluidly then, placing a bucket of water and a stack of clean cloth at his feet. He was inordinately grateful for being allowed to inhale the scent of this woman who was still very much alive, human or not. He did not even reproach her when she bent next to him and displayed one of her perplexing endearments, months of absence falling away, one hand reaching out to grasp onto a handful of bloody hair. Lips affectionately brushed his forehead, silent empathy and forgiveness, and then she moved away once more and knelt in front of Shinya with the grace of a priestess.

The quiet descended again, but it was warmer than what he had been wallowing in, and he rested his head back against the wall, watching this strange woman as she folded her hands and bowed her head, face disappearing behind a curtain of dark hair. He was glad that she was there, because she knew better than to speak. He hated that she was there, because he wanted to hear her voice. And he could not help himself, so he finally spoke in that same unused, gravelly tone.

"What are you doing?"

"Praying," she answered softly, and that one word drowned out everything else.

"For what?"

Her head lifted and she turned to face him, lips turning upward in a sad smile. "For her. My people believe in spirits that govern the five aspects of this world. I am praying to the one who rules over death."

"Ah," Kanaye acknowledged absently, mind turning inward to the man with the sea-colored hair, the one that was tethered to the eternal solitude of that gate. "I think I know him."

"Her," Zadi corrected gently.

"Oh, then I am _certain_ I know him," Kanaye replied with dry humor. She returned to her position of prayer and he remained the spectator, experiencing an odd relief that someone was attempting to do _something_ to make certain the girl was at peace. He was about as religious as a brothel full of whores. He did not place much stock in the spiritual faith of humans, but they most certainly had their means of sending demons careening into the afterlife. It stood to reason that they might just be capable of comforting those demons as well. He found himself speaking before he had given himself conscious permission, an awkward question.

"Does it work?"

She opened her eyes and glanced at him once more, smiling that soft, enigmatic smile as she extended a hand to him, an invitation, and he all but recoiled from her, curious eyes hooded once more. "I will leave that to you. I am certain to offend your god."

"Kanaye …" she whispered.

He did not look at her until she repeated the name again, and then coppery eyes flickered, honing in on her face. He felt like someone freshly woken from a very deep sleep, caught between darkness and reality.

"Have you been in here the whole time?" she asked, blue eyes roving to his filthy hands

"I'm not sure," he admitted honestly.

"Not sure?"

"I'm not sure how long it's been."

"It's been nearly two days," she said quietly, moving to kneel at his feet. "You need to wash up. You look absolutely frightening."

He said nothing to that, merely watched in detached surprise as she grasped onto one hand and made use of that mysterious bucket. A soft cloth was soaked and then brushed across the skin with slow motions that worked to peel the grime away from him. She worked on each finger, each claw, and he remained silent, eyeing her with idle curiosity. When that hand had been cleaned to the wrist, she moved to the second, and he finally voiced the pressing question.

"Why are you here? Other than this fit of grooming, of course."

"Lien wrote me a letter and Sesshoumaru had it delivered," she explained, not lifting her eyes from her gory task.

"I can only imagine what that said."

"She is worried about you."

"For what reason? I am here, it is the girl that is dead." His eyes focused on the top of her head, which was bent intently over him, and he confided in a subdued voice, "She was mine, you know. Sashe belonged to Lien, and Shinya belonged to me. She was a fearless child, a little reckless, but smart as hell. For whatever reason, she did not have the sense to be afraid of the things she should have. That was where I came in. I trained that girl constantly, from dawn until dusk on some days. She took to it, she was competitive, and by the time she was about ten or so, she told me she wouldn't stop until she was stronger than me." His attention moved beyond Zadi then, to the girl laid out on the table. "A father has only two purposes. The first is to help create the child. The second is to protect the child and prepare her to defend herself. I quite excelled at the former and she has shown me that I dismally failed at the latter."

"Kanaye …," Zadi stopped then and looked up at him, and he felt as though the remnants of his soul were suddenly being forced to bear the scrutiny of an individual who all but wallowed in pure intentions. "Are you all right?"

He blinked at her, surprised by the question, and then found himself smiling faintly at her simple-mindedness. "To be honest, I do not know."

"What do you mean?"

"Humans … you die of those spasms … what are they?" he questioned, loathing his own confusion. "Where you just stop living suddenly, the heart seizes and stops, and then someone is gone."

On any other day and in any other place, he supposed Zadi might have laughed at him for pondering the possibility of organ failure, but something in his words must have bothered her because she released the cloth and gripped his hands, threading her fingers through his stiff ones.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, wholly intent on him.

He shook his head, unable, as usual, to convey much of anything that did not come from the comforting familiarity of sarcasm and hatred. "I do not know. I don't know what it is, but something is there, clawing and twisting and tightening. I feel as though I am being strangled." He switched to her native language then, hoping to relay his meaning in a way that Japanese failed him. "I don't even know how to say it properly. It is agony and something is failing."

He watched in silent wonder as her eyes filled with tears. The fingers tightened around his, a motion he generally brushed off, but he was fixated on her, on that expression, on that voice that was unbearably soft as she answered, "I think that's called grief, Kanaye."

He scoffed at that and this time he did pull himself free of her grasp. "It cannot be. This would certainly kill a human, and you people have more grief than you know what to do with."

"You are right. I must be out of my mind to think that a demon would grieve for his child."

"It's not grief. It's like having a body part slowly sawed off." He became more animated then, looking her directly in the face. "There are times like now when I am certain I am something that does not belong here. I can hear them telling me that, my sisters and my parents, and I am waiting to hear it from Shinya as well. There are times when the things I do are calculated, and times when they are done so completely without thought. I am a heartless bastard, that much I admit to … but---," he frowned darkly then as he watched her face change. "Woman? What the hell are you crying about?"

She mutely shook her head, rubbing the backs of her hands across her eyes. "I am so sad for you, I cannot stand it. But I am grateful to be here with you."

"Grateful?" he repeated incredulously. He was uncomfortable with the turn in conversation, and so he grasped for what felt reassuring, an argument. "That wasn't the case last winter."

She blinked at the sudden switch in topic, moving back to rest on her knees. "I didn't want to leave you even then. I was furious at you, I was heart-broken by what you did, but it was not what I wanted. Your actions forced me to leave. You left my village lacking half of its leadership, and so I had to return to fix the damage."

"And I am not sorry for it," he snapped, feeling that intangible leash begin to tug at his fingertips once more. The monster wanted loose and he could not allow that, so he fed it the meager scraps of another person's pain. "They chose to die. I made it clear that my target was the soldiers from Hokido and they still intervened. Your stupid, precious Koron tried that youki-seizing shit, and he got what he deserved for it. Do you think I would allow a pack of humans to pull me down just because they mean something to you? You are mistaken."

"You overreacted," she said calmly, appearing taken aback by the anger that was quickly building, growing into a separate entity to occupy the room.

"I _saved_ your worthless village, you idiot," he hissed, eyes flaming to a fiery auburn. It was all so distant now, the voices, and the dead, and that crushing agony. It was such a sudden, encompassing relief to him that he could not bring himself to stop. "I don't care how many of them I killed, I would do it all again. You had no idea what you were dealing with. Hokido was full of back-stabbing, double-dealing scum. Their treachery helped bring the greatest clan of dog demons to its knees. They would have made short work of your patch of backward huts."

"What do you mean?" she asked, wide-eyed at how wrong the conversation had gone.

The astonishment on her face was its own reward, but it was not enough. He sneered at her, viewing her from eyes that were distant. "You were so giddy over your half-witted plot, over how easy it had been to outsmart that whore-spawned daimyou, you didn't even stop to _think_ what he'd get out of it! You didn't know half of what I knew. Those hanyou weren't being sent to your village for refuge. Your own people were marching an invading army into their sweet little village. Seven hells, woman, you're all so stupid! Do you know what that daimyou and all his predecessors liked to collect? Extermination techniques. They enjoyed nothing more than destroying demons, they loved being so naively secure behind their walls. Do you think there was even a chance in hell that I'd let your shit spread across Japan? I don't even like letting _your_ pack of vermin run amuck with that power! I'd strangle you all myself before I'd allow Hokido to play with it!"

She drew back from him in open-mouthed horror, and it felt so good, it felt so liberating to rave at her, a target for the madness that swirled inside his own head. He felt hot and worn down by the collective condemnation of the world; it felt wonderful to gleefully claim his actions, to wallow in his own gift for destruction, to expel months of bottled resentment. He had been staked through the chest for the one act that had actually been intended as a protective measure for someone else. It had gone very wrong, and that had most certainly been his fault, but it felt indescribably good to retaliate for the lack of gratitude.

"That girl's wretched hanyou brother … Chi … he was the daimyou's right-hand man," Kanaye went on. "He was an ambitious, spineless little bastard, just like his grandfather, just like Eizan, and he was going to your village for a reason you should be very familiar with. I squeezed that confession out of him with my own bare hands and then I dunked the asshole and drowned him. I enjoyed every struggling second of it. I slaughtered your sweet Koron and his incompetent friends, and then I cut that bridge loose and did the world a favor by ridding it of excess hanyou and human filth. Your darling village still stands because of that." He paused, allowing a venomous smile to cross his lips as he added in a silky, vulgar whisper, "You should have been on your knees thanking me. In fact, that's where I prefer you to be. It's been a while."

He had expected her to become angry, as furious as he was. He waited for the comforting familiarity of Zadi provoked into a loss of temper, but she disappointed him in that, instead bringing her hands to her face as though exhausted by him. She did not say anything, nothing at all. Instead, one hand moved to rest over his again, and he resented it. He did not want comfort. He could not stand it, it was unbearable, it was an excuse. All he wanted, from her, from anyone, really, was someone who would fight back

* * *

"This is shit." 

Inuyasha dropped the shovel and cast a suffering look at Kagome, who was bent over the grave, carefully arranging a scant handful of wildflowers. He noticed the lack of reproval at the language, and felt a moment of blessed freedom in that he was not surrounded by children at the moment, his own kid, or Miroku and Sango's horde, and so he was free to loose a string of profanity at his leisure. It almost made up for the fact that he was hunkered outside the smoking hulk of a decimated city and, of course, disposing of some poor bastard.

"Seriously, Kagome, I thought I'd left all the digging back at the village with the pervy monk, but here I am, and what am I doing? Burying another body. All I can smell anymore is dead human. It makes me want to shove my head in a bucket of water and inhale."

Kagome lifted her dark head and smiled sympathetically. "That's called drowning, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blinked at that, then scowled and shoved his hands into his sleeves. "You know what I mean. And it doesn't help that this place is just creepy. I don't know what these people did, but they sure as hell pissed someone off. Especially that sad bastard," Inuyasha added, nodding a dog-eared head toward the grave. "Some psycho got a hold of him. And what's the point of writing 'corpse'? If you're gonna lose it like that, at least be creative. It's like having Shippou around to state the obvious."

"Was it a demon, do you think?" Kagome assumed quietly, sight drifting back over her shoulder toward the city's remnants. She supposed it could have been a rivaling daimyou, but the scale seemed so horrific ….

"Heh. An army of them, from the looks of it. It's been a long time since I've seen something this bad," Inuyasha paused then, and that odd feeling returned, like some distant recognition. "But, you know, … that guy kinda smelled like …"

"Like what?"

"Nevermind," Inuyasha murmured. It was not a what, more like a _who_. The wind shifted, that gauzy layer of smoke lifted some, and again, something tugged at the back of Inuyasha's mind. Whoever had destroyed this city had been thorough. Inuyasha had only made a cursory inspection beyond the gate, enough to see the charred buildings and the blackened remains of countless people, before understanding that there would be no survivors in this place.

"Something's wrong here, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured uncertainly, brushing off dirty hands as she rose to her feet.

"You mean beyond all the dead people?" he asked sarcastically, then shrugged at the look she aimed at him. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It feels like … it feels something like the village," she said slowly, as though unwilling to commit to her instincts, "but it doesn't feel _sad_ here. It feels …"

"What?"

"Angry, afraid. One or both, I can't tell." She smiled wryly at her lack of coherence. "It's just a vague feeling."

"Heh. Both of those make sense. I'd be pissed if someone came to torch my town, and I'm sure there were a lot of frightened people when this thing went up."

"But I shouldn't even be able to feel it," Kagome said. "I've never been overly sensitive to dead spirits, but lately it's almost as though I can't avoid it. It's like … something's building. And if even I am able to sense it, it makes me worry."

Inuyasha eyed Kagome, who appeared unusually somber. It might have been the death that surrounded them, or it may have been the obvious lack of Miya, who had been sent to Kagome's mother for the duration of this village-consuming illness, or maybe it was .. whatever _this_ was. Miroku, Kaede … they, too, had seemed out-of-sorts, unable to name precisely what was wrong, but Inuyasha was smart enough to notice that the three people within their village that were most sensitive to spiritual fluctuations were all acting as though their best friend had died.

They abandoned the grave and passed the ruined gate. The wind whistled through the broken wood, like some primitive instrument, and it was then that Inuyasha smelled something that stopped him cold. He turned his head, eyeing the immediate landscape, and then paced forward with purposeful steps until he found it, a patch of grass that was ruddy from dried blood. He stared at it blankly for a moment, processing what his nose was trying to tell him, and then he quietly said.

"Sesshoumaru was here."

Kagome came up beside him, eyeing the ground uncertainly.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"And Rin."

"Rin?" Kagome repeated, glancing once more at the ruined city. "Inuyasha, you don't think ---"

"I don't know what to think, but I'll tell you this much," he turned a serious golden gaze on Kagome, "if Sesshoumaru was in a bad enough mood to do something like this, I'm not sure I want to find him."

* * *

The evening was a murky wash of gray and green and blue, and a whispery fog rolled in across the lake, coating everything in an ethereal mist. Sesshoumaru felt that faint sense of impatience at being pulled away from where he would rather be, but at the same time, he found it difficult to decide where to direct the frustration. He supposed it made the most sense to target Kuroshi with that irritation, but, as usual, he discovered that he could not. There was something in him that found it very difficult to be angry at that man, and he supposed that was for many different reasons. Mostly, though, it was for the inescapable fact that Kuroshi was firmly situated between Sesshoumaru and a fate he did not want, and so he supposed some indulgence, some lenience was a small price to pay. 

He knew the man would come. His natural affinity for water made it a certain medium to reach him, most especially this body of water, given the proximity to the gate. It was not far from that small, murky pond that had been the site of their first meeting, and Tenseiga seemed to recognize that; it was vibrating faintly, like a nervous shiver … or perhaps trembling for the sheer happiness it was experiencing. Sesshoumaru did not know, he did not care. He only wanted it to stop; he wanted to solve Kuroshi's issue and settle the matter of Shinya, because he wanted even more to be with someone else.

There was a shift in wind, which suddenly began blowing his hair in the opposite direction, silvery threads whipping into a frenzy. And then that smell of looming rain, both clean and threatening, an odd combination of both, and so fitting of the individual it tended to herald. He stood still, listening, waiting, eyes scouring the depths for that flash of silvery-blue, but he must have missed it this time, because the voice came from just beside him. Sesshoumaru was no longer a child that showed his surprise, and so he simply turned to find a face he had not seen in decades.

As Kanaye had said, Kuroshi was completely unchanged. He exuded a current of calm, pale hands folded neatly into silky sleeves, sea-colored hair spilling in a waterfall around his shoulders. The eyes were still cool and kind, but they also seemed so manically happy, like an opium addict given free rein with his drug. There was something else as well … something Sesshoumaru had not seen before, a dark shadow of anguish, and it prompted him to forgo the niceties and launch directly into his first thought.

"What have you done, Kuroshi?" It was calmly asked, but he found he dreaded the answer. The man's conscience was an open book; in that way, he was very child-like, a wrong would eat at him until it was corrected. Sesshoumaru wondered if that was why Kuroshi had wanted to see him. Did he want some task completed …?

Kuroshi's smile did not waver, genuine and seized by boundless affection. "Can you give me a few moments with you?"

"That depends on what you have planned," Sesshoumaru said wryly, which provoked the smile into a wide grin. Already that sadness seemed to be fading some, and Sesshoumaru wondered at the strange connection this man had with him. He did not know if it was due to the innate loneliness of Kuroshi's lifestyle or if it was something deeper, but Sesshoumaru felt certain that, for whatever reason, the man felt far more toward him than he could appreciate.

"Only to speak with you. You are all right? You are happy? I watch you when I can, and I listen for you, and you seem to be so."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "Yes. But I am not here for me. Tenseiga is behaving oddly, and I am certain that you are the cause."

"That is most likely so," Kuroshi admitted apologetically, one hand reaching out to gently touch the sword's hilt, and Sesshoumaru was certain that this man was one of only two other living individuals that were allowed to spontaneously reach toward that sword without losing fingers.

There was a pause. The wind died, but the rain smell remained, and Kuroshi appeared rueful as he said, "I know you do not like to be bothered, and for that, I apologize. I did not summon you intentionally." His eyes rose to Sesshoumaru's, true as light. "The last thing I would ever want is for your life to be disrupted for my sake. I have told you that before, and it still holds."

"And yet I am here," Sesshoumaru said, smiling faintly in some strange amusement. "What do you need?"

"Nothing," Kuroshi said, shaking his head faintly. "Only for you to endure this. I am making it as painless as I can."

An internal alarm was set off at that. "Endure what?"

"I have become selfish," the words were laced with some distant horror, as though Kuroshi himself could not believe what he had done. "I can barely see beyond myself. It is like tunnel vision, with only one goal at the end."

"What goal?" Sesshoumaru asked, not understanding, surprised that his voice remained even, and again he marveled at his utter inability to summon anger for the man.

"I am exhausted, so exhausted I do not have words to describe it," Kuroshi confided in a low voice. "Do you know it has been nearly a thousand years since I have seen the ocean? Kawako, remember? You once called me that, and I found it so endearing." Kuroshi lifted his hands and they appeared, those silvery, glowing manacles, shaped like a serpent consuming its own tail. "I can only roam so far before it sets in, the agony, the screaming. I have tried to reach the sea before, not to escape, just to see it, but I am not allowed that far from the gate. It is too painful, and I cannot bear it." He stopped then, and the eyes darkened, shadowed to a sickly slate. "Do you hear their screaming?"

Sesshoumaru stared mutely into the demon's face, feeling as though he was listening to the rambling of a mad man. He wondered if this was what became of someone who has been shut away from everyone and everything for so long, and his own heart filled with a dread he could not voice. But something came to his mind then, that confrontation in Hokido; the shrieking in his ears when he had been struck by that purification attack. It had been unnatural, he had known it even then. "What have you done?" he repeated, and he found his own voice emerging in a low whisper. He felt as though it was all about to be ripped away, everything he had fought for, exerted so much effort for, his territory and his status and _her_. It was what he had dreaded from the moment of his father's death, the looming toll to be paid.

"Kuroshi …"

"I have broken the contract, Sesshoumaru," Kuroshi interrupted, looking uneasy.

It felt like the drop of an executioner's axe, and Sesshoumaru was surprised at his own calm as he said, "Then I will ask you to reinstate it. I---"

Kuroshi shook his head, pained and yet still full of adoration. "I would not harm you. As I have said before, I will do what I have to in order to make certain your life remains as familiar as I can. I have not called in the contract, Sesshoumaru; you misunderstand. I have _broken_ it, it is my own sin. I have to escape, I have to end it. Every second of it has become excruciatingly unbearable, and I would not allow that to touch you." He went quiet for a moment and released his grip on Tenseiga. "My only purpose has been to serve you, to serve your family, and I can no longer do that. I have closed the gate."

"Closed the gate," Sesshoumaru repeated. "And what effect will that have?"

"It has been closed for months; you are already seeing the effects," Kuroshi admitted sadly. "The souls are lingering; angry, regretful, sad souls. Some are strong enough to make the transformation into youkai, some are lost and in anguish and are clinging to their loved ones. That is sickening villages and killing even more, perpetuating the problem. They are forced to remain in this world because of me, because of my weariness and self-service, and that is so evil I am ashamed to even say it to you." He shook his head in apology. "I can personally dispatch some beyond the gate without it having to be opened, but it is slow work and it is all I can do."

"Reopen the gate, Kuroshi." A tensely-spoken command.

"I cannot. Even if I wanted to, I could not," Kuroshi murmured. "Shinya … I think I may be responsible for her death. The humans are sick and irrational and they are being exposed to sources of power they do not understand. The holy exterminators are invoking a power that should not be available to them, they are using those souls as weapons. Shinya was a sweet girl and I gave in to her every whim. She also unknowingly gave in to mine. I allowed her to construct her city on top of the gate, Sesshoumaru. It cannot be opened."

"And so what will become of this?" Sesshoumaru questioned, mind whirling. He had not expected this, not at all. At best, he had predicted Kuroshi's wish for a few moments of companionship, for someone to speak to in order to break up the monotony of his existence. At worst, he had anticipated a warning to let him know that time was running shorter than either of them had planned. "You have done all of this because you did not want to subject me to your fate, and so what is the result?"

Kuroshi nodded. "If I had done as I should have and called in the contract, I would have been free. But it would have been you stuck in my place, and I cannot allow for that. I will not subject you to the misery I have experienced. I looked beyond you, to your descendants, but I could not see past Rin, that sweet woman. Anything you create with her will be as beautiful as the two of you, but it will not be strong enough to take my place. You are the last, and so I have to end it now. There will no longer be a need for a gate guardian when there are no more humans to pass through." He held up a hand at Sesshoumaru's look of warning. "But know this: it will not apply to Rin."

Sesshoumaru watched as the man extended an open palm. There was nothing for several seconds save the wind and the coming rain, and then there was a silent burst of light that manifested into a small, exceedingly familiar imp-like creature.

"This is hers," Kuroshi said softly. "I created it for her. I will keep her with you. You will not suffer for my self-indulgence, that much I can promise you."

"Tenseiga …"

"Tenseiga will function as usual. Its destructive capabilities are separate and will be unaffected. It will continue to revive youkai, for that is a separate domain as well, ruled by another. But it will no longer be capable of reviving humans, save for one, and I will watch for her. She is with you in a way I cannot be, and I love her for that." He smiled again, a bizarre mixture of relieved and anguished and happy. "I would like to see her. There is something I can repair. I can undo the lie, and it is no less than she deserves."

Sesshoumaru mutely watched the man, who beamed at him as though pleased by his presence alone. He prized himself on his quick-thinking, on his ability to consistently resolve problems to his satisfaction, but he had now been presented with one that had no solution at all. Kuroshi would destroy the western humans for his freedom, and stopping him would mean forgoing his own freedom, which was something Sesshoumaru simply was not kind enough to do. It was a sacrifice he was not prepared to make.

"You mentioned Shinya," he began then, wanting to leave this meeting with some small victory. "If you can intervene on her behalf, then---"

"She was expelled from this world in an unnatural way, and I will give her back," Kuroshi agreed, grey eyes blinking with open honesty. "It is not my realm, but for what I have done, it will be a small price to pay. When this is finished, Kanaye will be free to retrieve her. I will open the gate and allow him through."

Sesshoumaru's tone was grim as he replied, "If I tell Kanaye that the only thing standing between him and Shinya is that gate and your refusal to open it, he will murder you himself."

"Thus invoking the contract," Kuroshi said with a sad, accepting smile. "It somehow seems unfair to you, but either way, I will win."

* * *

**Dammit. I'd wanted to get Inuyasha over there by the end of this, but it could not happen for a couple of reasons, one being that this chapter is already appallingly long. If you actually made it all the way through, I congratulate you, because there was some massive, delayed info-dumping going on here. Also, this chapter had a very somber feel for me, and suddenly turning it into something humorous seemed … weird. At least he's getting closer. I'm looking forward to that … lol … I love writing him and Sesshoumaru together.**

**There was so much crap to fit in here for use in later chapters, it made me dizzy even to write it. --**

**I believe the next chapter will be mostly flashback to over 600 years ago, so I can give a good bit of background on what happened with Eido and why Kanaye is so messed up and why Kuroshi came into it. My favorite thing, though … writing Inu-Papa! Yay! I'm also going to get to write Sesshoumaru's mom, which makes me so giddy. D**

**On to responses!**

**_Koyuki-san:_** Aww, excellent, I'm glad that point got made … lol. So often, the focus of Inuyasha is on how cruel the demons can be, but I wanted to show that the humans can be as horrible as they are. You're right about the Kanaye volcano … he's going a little insane right now, but he ought to blow completely in about Chapter 7 or 8. There was lots of Kuroshi in this one … I finally got to sort of give some background into what he has done, though it needs to be fleshed out a bit more. I feel it may be a little unclear. I'm waiting on Inuyasha to start his trouble, too. I just can't seem to get the boy to that fortress.

**_Freakish Child:_** Heheh … yeah, but the 'loveable asshole' came from some pretty dark stuff and he's capable of being pretty awful. In reviews and things for WS, people kept asking me to do his life story, which I wouldn't do just for the fact that he's an OC and that story would be nothing but a trail of OCs, so since I formed this story off of reviews and things, I decided to make him one of the villains so I'd get a chance to flesh out that side of him. Sorry about the negativity … lol. I do enjoy it, personally. I love making things dark and then dragging them back up and then making them dark again. Creepy writer.

**_Ghost140:_** Sorry:) But, yes, you're right. When I was forming the plot for this, I had to consider what would really give Kanaye a reason to go nuts without making him completely evil. So … Shinya had to die, the poor thing. I'd have rather killed Sashe, honestly, but that would have made the whole effort to rescue her in WS completely pointless. Heheh … I wonder what you thought their argument was. I touched on most of it in this chapter during their "fight", but I'll dig more into that later. It ties into another subplot as well, though I'm not sure how obvious that is. And that is evil!!! Lol … congrats on the great semester. I'm so jealous, I could cry. Feel free to rub it in, I'll live vicariously.

**_New Fan:_** Yes, I agree, he does love them, but he's one messed up guy. He doesn't know which end is up. As far as controlling him, yes, Inu-Papa was the one who was able to do it, which was part of the point behind the flashback with Inu-Papa in this chapter. The other reasons for that was post-mortem development for Shinya and because that scene will have more meaning in a future chapter. Shinya's heart … to be honest, I'm not sure. It may have been destroyed or someone fairly obvious may have it. I haven't decided. Rin is going to be pretty down for a while, but she's fairly resilient, so she'll work through it. I'd like the chance to deepen her as a character, though, so that's why I haven't been very kind to her so far … lol. But, yes, Inuyasha and Kagome will come to help her out. She could really use them right about now. They'll all meet back up in the next chapter and then I'll do some massive flash-backing in order to fill out some of the backstory.

**_Fluffy Tail:_** Heheh … were you thinking what I was? Scarlet letter. xD Exactly, I needed someone like Furu in order to balance out the heartlessness of the other guys … lol. That's what I was thinking about Sesshoumaru, too. He's not the type to do a lot of overt comforting, so the "fluff" is at a minimum for now, but I want to do some serious work on him and Rin. Like you said, he just hasn't had much practice at it. Poor guy … he's out of his element. Thaaaank you for all the nice words. :)

**_Sasori:_** Aww, I'm glad you liked it so well. I'm very bad at deciding whether there is too much drama or if it's completely insufficient to relay the emotion of what's going on. I sort of wuss out a lot and pick a point-of-view like Sesshoumaru's. He's not one to go flying off the deep end, so it let's me get on through the story without having a ton of hysterics … lol. Yeah, he was trying to be nice to Lien there at the end. He's always so focused on Rin, he could stand to have some sort of "affection" for someone else now and then. That's part of why I gave him such an odd relationship with Kuroshi. Sesshoumaru doesn't get along well with most people, so I deliberately made Kuroshi someone he would have a hard time being angry at.

**_Indomitable Spirit:_** Hello, hello! Oh, I barely remembered myself. I don't think I totally committed to a sequel, but as time went on, I sort of had a plot unfold in my head and I missed writing. I could use the practice, so I decided to do it again. Wow, that was very kind about the character development … thank you. I worry about doing too much of it because I don't want to take away from the canons, but at the same time, it sort of cheapens a story if you have them interacting with flat characters. :/ Kind of tough to juggle. Oh, it will take a more Sess/Rin turn as it goes along. I've had to spend so much time setting up particular people and events, I haven't had a chance to do much with them yet. I had to wreck some of that blissful happiness. But, yes, the sun definitely rises and sets on her; he is so focused on here, that he doesn't really have much to spare for anyone else. I try to show how he feels about her in indirect ways, because he's not one to just come out and say he loves her. Thank you very much for dropping by.

**_Sandpit:_** Oh, I didn't mean to imply that's what you meant at all. That was just me being sad about losing out on the opportunity to write canon Sess-mom. But don't worry … my version of Sesshoumaru's mom is going to be so immune to Kanaye, it's going to be painful. I've been thinking up her dialogue for weeks and I'll finally get to write it now. But, yes, Rin doesn't belong anywhere at all, the poor girl and she will have some difficulty with Sesshoumaru's behavior over the next little bit. He's going to kind of waver over sides and things like that .. I've been kind of nudging him into the direction of the humans for the past few stories, and now there's going to be a little bit of over-correction. Heheh … yes, Furu has become my indispensable teddy bear. I've really needed him, because he's said and done the stuff no one else would say or do and still be in character. And I was thinking about you when I wrote parts of this chapter … rotfl. I was like, "Oh, man … this is going to be a load of Zadi-suffering for Sandpit." Sorry. xD

**_Midnight Lady:_** lol … I didn't feel sorry for him, either. But I think that's also due to my own desensitization when it comes to Kanaye. I have to sort of prepare myself, because he's gonna lose it. I love dangling people and trying to decide whether I should destroy them or reel them back in. It's pure evil. xD Ohhh … yes, I really wanted to give Rin some stuff to work through with this, so that'll be fun. I needed to have some source of conflict between her and Sesshoumaru, so I've got the beginnings of that, at least. Angst is so much fun to write. And with the flashback next chapter, I'll get to write plenty of angst with my beloved Inu-Papa!

**_Teela:_** Wow, you're a sweetheart. Oh, nooo … I don't like the "and so they lived happily ever after". It's too easy, and this one will not end so easily, but I hope it'll be a satisfying end. I really do love making people happy and then destroying their lives, so you caught me there … lol. And I'm glad you caught that. Sesshoumaru was thinking that Shinya was wrong even though she was very right. The conflict with the demons and the humans has the same basis as pretty much every other "racial" or "religious" conflict … complete inability to see how very similar they are, and that many of the things they live and strive for are the same. And, yes, Sesshoumaru was very cruel with that line, and I was purposeful with that because I felt that he would be much more unforgiving of Kanaye's screw-up with Rin involved. He was angry, and so he wanted to say something brutal, and so yeah, that was a pretty harsh thing to say. Kanaye is indeed very frustrated. He doesn't know what to do with himself, he's kind of lingering between a guilty calm and an explosive rage. But I thought that since he does so easily lose his temper, when he experiences a truly horrific event, he'd probably go the opposite way … hence, the calm. Yes, Lien does care for him very much, but she left him for good reasons. What happened with Shinya was basically the standard … true Kanaye … thoughtlessly provoking something that harms his family. I'm surprised you say you're not good at English. I think your English is excellent, personally. And don't worry … lol … I'm sure you're very busy. Please don't feel like it was a promise, it's not required at all. Just keep doing whatever inspires you, because it's all lovely.

**_Burntbanana:_** Thank you about the characterization! I write what I like to read, basically … and I get very bored with characters that don't have some background or some quirks or something. I like to try to figure out why they do the things they do and I hate it when things are made too obvious. I'm glad you understand him better, because he's a bit confusing to me at times. xD Hmm .. another death … at some point, yes, but nothing immediate. I've had my catalyst and now I can play with the fallout.

**_Aurora:_** Hey there! I know … those were ages ago. I started RP about 3 and a half years ago. Scary. And I look forward to the reviews, though don't feel like you're chained … lol. I'm not one of those who threatens people if there aren't a certain number of reviews. I figure people will say something if they want, and if they don't want to, that's fine. I'm writing this story for my own enjoyment, so chapters will keep going up whether there are any reviews or not … lol. Although, it is really fun to have people to chatter back and forth with. I get a lot of neat ideas from people, too. The chapters are ridiculously long sometimes, I'll admit. Case in point with this one. But I need a certain amount of length in some of these scenes to get what I need out of them, and the length often helps me hide little things here and there so they're (hopefully) not so obvious for later. Heheh … Inu-Papa is next week, and I'm so excited. I'm all fan-girled out over it. Ohhh, the manga … so good. For a while there, I was wondering if Sesshy was gonna get tossed into hell for a chat with Dad. That would have been awesome. xD


	7. Prelude

**7 – Prelude**

Sesshoumaru remained with Kuroshi until night began its slow transition into the darkest hours of morning. It was far longer than he had intended, than he had anticipated, but there was a part of him that wondered if he would somehow be able to reverse the damage that had been done. If Kuroshi's loneliness had driven him to the thin line between coherence and insanity, then he wanted at least to try. He stayed and he listened and he liked less and less of what he heard. He was generally not one to assume much in the way of responsibility for the actions of others, but in this there was some creeping culpability. He felt he had waited too long; he had left the man to rot at the gate, secure in Kuroshi's inexhaustible benevolence for the humans and for him. That had been a sizable error.

Once he had come to understand that there truly was nothing that he could do, Sesshoumaru had taken his leave of Kuroshi, who had sincerely thanked him for coming as though it had been any real choice of his own, and then he had begun the short trek back to the fortress, considering what western Japan would be like without the troublesome humans there to cause problems. He quite honestly did not give a damn about them. They were like a termite infestation, mindlessly chewing things up, destroying them out of thoughtless hunger and greed. He would not mourn them, he would not miss them, and he was securely devoted to a woman who most certainly _would_.

His father had always insisted that ruling over the demons of the west meant, in essence, that part of their job was to protect the humans. To allow rampant destruction of humans by other youkai was to show a lack of control, of mastery. Inutaisho had willingly defended the humans out of a sense of justice, and Sesshoumaru occasionally did the same out of a grudging sense of pride. He felt it did not matter where the motivation came from so long as the job was done adequately enough. For that reason, he refused to chase down every wayward demon that descended upon some poorly defended town or pack of hapless traveling humans. He did not waste his time with such petty things; he reserved his judgment for the truly gruesome acts, and the demons of the west had come to understand that there was a very thin line at their feet. If they chose to cross it, they would one day find the western lord at their doorstep and they would be efficiently relocated to a place where they could no longer harm anyone at all.

It had proved to be an effective way to maintain stability and it had come from Sesshoumaru's own half-heartedness. For many years, he had resented his father and the position that had been left to him almost as an afterthought due to the incompletion of a life. Gifting Tessaiga to the son who could contribute nothing but a talent for profanity and bravado had been a slap in the face, and Sesshoumaru had spent many years all but ignoring the west, only taking note of the conflicts that directly challenged his ego and his supremacy. Like Naraku. Like the damned cats.

He wondered now what his father would do in his place and something in him knew without question. Kuroshi would have been replaced before he could ever have reached such a point. Inutaisho would have monitored the man's well-being now as he had done in life, and when Kuroshi showed signs of wavering, Inutaisho would have finished what he had begun toward the end: he would have given Sesshoumaru more and more rein over the west and then he would have stepped back, he would have retired, and he would have paid his own debt. The west would have been left in capable hands and the humans would have been assured of a benevolent guide into the afterlife. It was supposed to have worked in that way and it had not. That was due to Inutaisho's weakness, his obsessive fixation on Izayoi and on Inuyasha; their well-being and their happiness. With Inuyasha, Inutaisho had been allowed to take great pride and joy in each accomplishment, few though they may have been. It had been different with Sesshoumaru; there had been more of an urgency, a need to make sure that he learned quickly, that he was trained quickly, because there was always that shadowy specter of death lurking in the back of Inutaisho's mind. After everything, he had feared leaving the west with no one to keep the youkai population from eating itself alive. He had feared even more the prospect of all those years of inexhaustible effort resulting in his domain being carved up by others. Inutaisho had seen it happen before and for centuries he had carried the weight of knowing that there was only one real replacement for him and that he had to do right by that boy.

Sesshoumaru had known of the contract with Kuroshi; he had known that wielding Tenseiga would mean adding his own name to the ever-shortening list of replacement prospects. It was part of the reason the sword had been so reviled, but when his father had been alive, he had known that it would never come to him, because, after all, who could ever manage to kill the almighty Inutaisho-sama? Preposterous … and then not so much, because one day he was simply told that his father was dead. Everything reeled outward from that, it was all altered so completely and unexpectedly, and Sesshoumaru had relied on Kuroshi's indulgence of him to keep this at bay. He knew this was the one inheritance Inutaisho would not have wanted to leave him, but the fact remained ….

And there truly was no one else now. He was stuck, caught in an agreement made by two desperate men over six centuries earlier, and he had no way out. He was not even certain he could allow himself a way out. There was confusion in his mind over what his duty was in such a situation. Should he gracefully fulfill his father's obligation? He did not want to do so, he was not equipped to be some silent human shepherd, and who would control the youkai in his place? Inuyasha? The boy would be dead within the week. Kanaye? The man would gleefully see to the extermination of the humans with no one in place to contain him.

_Well, that would at least make my rule as guardian blessedly short_, Sesshoumaru thought wryly.

There was no one, only the remnants of a great family, only one person capable of fulfilling both roles. And, again, that thought came to mind, of that distant future that had no place for youkai at all, a future in which he did not exist.

_Is this why? Is it because I end up choosing to free Kuroshi? Is that why the demons are extinguished, why I disappear?_ Rule over Japan by youkai lords was coming to an end, that much he could see. Already he was having to watch the west while keeping an eye trained carefully toward the north. The south, too, had no one behind Furu, and the east was held by the stupidest female Sesshoumaru had ever had the misfortune of encountering.

It was a disaster. He could barely wrap his mind around it. And what made it worse was that there was no clear enemy to defeat. He was simply supposed to stand by and watch it all happen, a spectator within his own realm. It aggravated him, it frustrated him. He could do nothing for Shinya, despite the pleas. Tenseiga could not save a girl who had been expelled completely into the next world, heart or no heart. He could do nothing for the humans other than destroy Kuroshi and assume the man's role, and he could not bring himself to perform either function. Everything rested in the hands of another, and that was not a situation he was at all accustomed to. Kuroshi had spent nearly a thousand years in service to Sesshoumaru's family and to the humans. He had earned whatever rest he required now. Sesshoumaru simply could not summon condemnation for him, though he supposed he probably should.

The shadow of the fortress's façade fell over him and it was then that he smelled it, that familiar, unwelcome mixture of his father and another and he lifted his eyes toward the shattered outer gate to find an unmistakable dog-eared head. He did not slow his steps, but Sesshoumaru was suddenly certain that he was being targeted by some unseen force that was positively bent on testing his endurance.

"Oi!" Inuyasha bellowed from afar, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in impatience. "Damn, can your ass move any slower? I've been waiting for hours!"

He slowed purposefully then and his mind turned inward once more to that contract. Desperation … that was what had brought him to this point. Not his own, but his father's. Inutaisho had lost a father and three sisters and an entire realm in the space of a night. He had all but sold his soul to save another, to keep his brother with him, and it had not been an even trade in Sesshoumaru's estimation. He supposed that was because he most certainly could not identify with that desire, he could not imagine feeling it necessary to go to such lengths to keep Inuyasha in the living world with the rest of them. They had the sort of relationship that Sesshoumaru had nearly become comfortable with: he would dig the grave before putting himself out for the hanyou, all without a glimmer of conscience, and Inuyasha wisely expected nothing more.

He had not seen Inuyasha in nearly three years and he would have been content to let another three hundred pass. He was not to be allowed that, however; the boy, as usual, seemed to hone in on Sesshoumaru's rising level of frustration, almost as though it were a summoning beacon. He ascended the cracked steps in time to watch the hanyou fold red-sleeved arms in the usual defensive posture, and Sesshoumaru stared blankly at him in hopes that he would evaporate. Unfortunately, all that left was the silence and that was suddenly filled by the senseless drabble of an idiot.

"So …," Inuyasha began slowly, "you're probably wondering why I'm here."

"Not particularly. I have no interest in understanding the reasons behind anything you do."

Inuyasha's eyes immediately narrowed. "Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. I've been saving this up for a good while now, so you just sit … stand still … and listen, got it?"

Sesshoumaru's face remained impassive. "Agreed, but I will warn you now: if you finish your speech and I feel that you have wasted my time, I will flay you open like a rabbit for the spit. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha waved that off without concern. "Take a nap if you're cranky. I don't have time to deal with your shit tonight." He raised one pointed finger and gestured past the gate's remains to the fortress's reinforced door. "First of all, did you know that there's a dead girl in there?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru said, fangs gritting at the usual oblivious lack of tact.

"Just checking. That rabid bastard is in there and he tends to kill things." Inuyasha's arms folded once more and he regarded Sesshoumaru with utter seriousness before launching into his tale. "So here's the thing: about a month or so ago, some people in my village started dropping dead like a batch of week-old flies. We couldn't really figure it out, because everyone was dying from the same sort of thing, but some of them hadn't gone near each other. We checked the water and we checked the food, and it was all fine. Well, what do you know? I find out that we're not the only village like this; nearly every human settlement in this region is suffering from this same crap. Except …"

"Hokido?" Sesshoumaru assumed.

Inuyasha's expression hardened. "And that reminds me, you've got a burned out city on your back doorstep here. Did you torch it to keep the disease from spreading closer? Or were you just bored? Because if it was boredom, I _will_ have to kick your ass."

"_That_ was Hokido. And, no, they were destroyed because they assaulted Rin and murdered Shinya."

Inuyasha stared blankly at him.

"Shinya. Kanaye's daughter," Sesshoumaru muttered in explanation, then snapped, "The _dead_ girl, hanyou, do you understand spoken language?"

"Well, that explains that, doesn't it?" Inuyasha smirked. "Setting you loose on a human city with an excuse like that is like me setting Miya loose on a piece of chocolate cake. Pretty soon the shit is going to start flying."

"Are you finished yet, Inuyasha? Because the odds of your survival are looking fairly grim."

"Hold on, I'm not done," Inuyasha scowled, tone turning impatient. "So, like I was saying, all the human settlements are dying off except for right around where you live. That's pretty interesting to me. And with all of this dying going on over the past couple of months, youkai extermination has become a really good business. Miroku's gonna be a rich man if I don't put an end to this soon. Something seems like it's just bent on eradicating a bunch of humans and I have a short list of people who'd go to that amount of trouble. You'd be at the top of that list if it weren't for the fact that you're so goddamned lazy. It didn't seem like your style, really, but since you're such a know-it-all, I thought you'd have had some cronie let you in on what's going on."

"You're starting to come to me with your problems?" Sesshoumaru asked icily. "You have become entirely too familiar with me."

"Oh, shut up with that, will you?" Inuyasha complained, eyebrows furrowing into a frown. "And here's where I'm sure the world's flipped ass-side-up, because I've finally tracked down my sort-of-half-brother, and where are you? Locked up at home like some antisocial hermit? Nope. Off slaying some poor bastard for scuffing your pretty shoes? Not even that. No, I find you at some sort of party in a crappy, drafty fortress that's full of a bunch of people you don't like … and, really, some of them I don't even _know_. One of them's dead, Rin looks like hell. So …"

"Are you finished now?"

"Yeah, that's about it," Inuyasha confirmed with a nod.

"Your stream-of-consciousness is alarming, hanyou." Sesshoumaru glanced beyond the remnant of the gates, picking up the distant tones of a particularly irritating, high-pitched voice. "Your woman is here, isn't she?"

"Yeah, and before I have to suffer the agony of you demanding a favor, Kagome's already with Rin. She was mumbling something about 'unsterile' or whatever," Inuyasha fumbled for the word.

"And what is that?"

"Hell if I know. It means 'not clean' or something. Rin's not cooperating much, though."

Sesshoumaru blinked at that, unable to mask his surprise. "Not cooperating?" he repeated slowly. _And why would that be? She is always exceptionally accommodating …._

"Yeah, she's in a pretty bad mood. I would be too if someone picked up a big stick and beat the living hell out of me." Inuyasha tilted his head expectantly then, hand falling to Tessaiga. "Which reminds me … are you going to answer me or are we gonna have to go the usual route?"

Under normal circumstances, Sesshoumaru would have quite willingly risen to that baiting, but his thoughts were turned in so many different directions, he barely had anything left to spare for Inuyasha. "Everything you have said is tied together. It is one problem, not several."

"Then you _do_ know what's causing it?"

Sesshoumaru sneered, moving up the steps to pass Inuyasha. "Of course. As you said, I know it all, do I not?"

* * *

Embarrassment. That was the source of Rin's strange behavior and Sesshoumaru was surprised that he was apparently the only one who could see it. She was sitting up in an awkward position, one hand pulling the robe more tightly around her, face flaming. Most would assume that was due to fever, but her eyes were averted and she was wearing that dishonest half-smile, the one that was rare and reserved for moments when the situation dictated that she must be polite. 

Kagome was hovering like an over-bearing mother, Zadi was urging her to accept some sort of medicinal concoction, and Lien was situated near the far wall, watching it all with a degree of distance. When Sesshoumaru entered the room, she turned apologetic eyes on him, but he brushed past her, fixated on Rin.

Shame, she looked ashamed, and it was the first he had seen of it. Dark, unhappy eyes met his and he felt a rise in that rarity he could only call mercy.

"Get out." It was said without preamble or explanation, and the other women in the room lifted their heads in surprise at the words. They turned toward him with open-mouthed expressions that would have been more appropriate if he had ordered them to leap from the nearest window.

"Sesshoumaru---" Kagome began, clad as usual in her bizarre, foreign clothes.

"I won't repeat myself, miko."

The woman appeared annoyed at that, but, as usual, his rudeness got the desired result. The room cleared and the door shut behind Lien with a quiet click. Immediately, the tension in Rin's body seemed to flee. The smile left as well, and she exhaled a weary sigh. "I know they want to help, but I don't want them to see it."

There, honestly stated. He felt relieved that, at the very least, she appeared more animated. Whatever medicine Zadi had been force-feeding her seemed to pull heat right out of skin, because she looked more alert than she had since she had been brought back from Hokido. The sleep-fogged confusion had been replaced by discomfort, though whether that was more internal or external, he had no way to know.

"I should probably apologize," she murmured then, voice laced with more guilt now than irritation. Fingers tightened their grasp on the sleeve. "They were not listening to me. There were too many people and this room is very small. It was overwhelming."

"They are here to help you. It is not healing properly and it's making you ill," he offered reasonably. "They will not condemn you for it. It has no meaning. It was only meant to be cruel."

"It's humiliating," she replied, looking sharply up at him. "And not the word itself. I do not care about that so much, it's something else."

"Such as?" he prompted when she fell silent.

"I don't know," she admitted honestly, and the harsh light in her eyes faded into something more distant. "Maybe it _is_ the word, after all. I don't know. I wonder what it will be like if it does not heal, if it's there forever. I don't want to wake up and see it every day for the rest of my life. It may be earned, I don't know. Have I betrayed someone by being with you? I don't feel that is so, but they certainly did, and I am so disconnected from other humans, I feel like I have no way of seeing myself through a critical eye. I feel like …" she eyed him seriously, "… you will think it is stupid, but I feel like a hanyou."

"Hanyou," he repeated, trying to glean the meaning from her words. His mind flickered to the dog-eared brat downstairs and to the child that was tucked away at a distance in the home of her brother. He failed to see the comparison, but her words invoked a faint sense of unease.

She nodded. "I am loathed by both sides now. It is a strange feeling. I have never considered it that way before, but I feel like I am not as human as I was, I do not understand them as well as I would if I had lived a complete life with them." She paused as though sifting through thoughts that were strangled, incoherent, and her eyes averted, turned from him. "It's not regret. I am not regretful, but I feel differently now than I did when I walked through the gates of Hokido. I feel a sense of horror for the women and for the children. I am so disappointed in you for that, for not inserting yourself between them and Kanaye. I am far more disappointed in myself, though, because … I have tried to summon _something_ for those men you killed, for that army, and there is nothing. Nothing at all. I wonder how that could be, if I honestly believe that every last one of them deserved to die for what happened. I feel nothing for them at all, it's so empty. It feels arrogant and selfish. And, sometimes, if I am honest … I am nearly satisfied with what you did."

"Rin …"

"It is an inexcusable feeling. I loathe myself for it, and yet … part of me feels like I should be proud of what they wrote." Her eyes lifted to him once more, burning with self-recrimination. "If I am your whore, then so be it. It is not as though a human can ever be much more to a youkai. I accepted that long ago, though it was not wrapped up in such a hateful word. Strangely, I have been thinking of Inuyasha's mother since he and Kagome arrived. I have heard you call her that name before, and something tells me that, truly, she was nothing of the sort. I cannot imagine your father involving himself with anyone other than a decent, good-hearted woman. I cannot imagine Inuyasha's mother being anything else, and so I think that if someone like her accepted that slur with grace, then I will, too."

He acknowledged the truth in that as he awkwardly admitted, "My unkindness toward her was less because of her character and more because of Inuyasha." He lowered his voice in a moment of honesty. "You are right in saying that she was a good woman by human standards, but her mistake was giving in to my father and I held her entirely accountable. If he had never laid eyes on her, I am confident he would still be here, and I am the first to admit that forgiveness does not come easily to me." Damage control, that was what this was. Over the last few years, he had purposefully curtailed unkind remarks about Inuyasha's mother for this very reason, but her memory was proving to be uncomfortably accurate.

She was silent for a long while before she seemed to recall something from the distant fog of the last few days. "You went to see Kuroshi …."

"Yes." She looked at him expectantly, and Sesshoumaru carefully assembled his words before replying. "He is … working toward something. We will see what it can do for Shinya."

The change was instant. Her expression brightened and she sat up straighter, fixated on his face. "He can help her? Have you told---?"

"No, I have not," he said quickly. That would be nothing short of disastrous. Kanaye knew too much of the contract and of the gate's workings. If he was given enough information, Sesshoumaru was confident he would be able to piece together precisely what was going on. It was something he wanted to delay; he was certain that Kanaye would have no problem exchanging Kuroshi's death and Sesshoumaru's freedom for Shinya's life. "It is beyond my abilities. Shinya did not die so much as she was simply expelled from her body by Hokido's priests. She was beyond my help the moment that happened. There is no guarantee, but I have left it in Kuroshi's hands. I will ask you to remain silent and do the same."

She nodded in agreement at that, but the newfound cheer began to fade. It was amazing, the difference in her; she never experienced a dark mood for more than a few moments at a time, and now she looked like a girl trying to keep her head above water. He could not even pretend to understand what she was struggling with, most of what she had said made little sense to him, but he wanted very much to reach in and pull her out. Slow, measured steps took him to the small table at her bedside and he peered into the bowl of medicine Zadi had been wielding with such enthusiasm. Whatever it was, it stunk and it looked like something that had been scooped from one of the peat bogs near the lake.

"Come with me," he murmured then, turning toward her once more. She looked like such a sad creature with that distant, unhappy expression and the tangled hair and the mottled skin that was proving slow to heal. She still smelled faintly of blood and disconcertingly like Shinya, and half of him wondered if that was the reason Lien had taken to hovering so close to her.

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I am asking you to come with me." _To be alone with me, to leave this stuffy grave of a room, to come back to yourself. I will make you forget for a moment. _And he repeated that last aloud, because it seemed the most important. "I will make you forget for a moment."

"Sesshoumaru …"

He must have said something right, because her expression changed completely. Of them all, he had truly been the most fortunate. He still had what he wanted and the rest of them would have to adjust to their losses in their own ways. He was a selfish bastard and he was unapologetic for it. He was also selfish for her, since she was so incapable of it.

There were things she needed to know, but they would have to wait. They could wait one night, but already his mind was turning with how to make things easier. He would warn the ones she cared for, he would send them away. That much he could do, even if he could not bring himself to save them. Miya. Kisho. Kagome. Zadi. Kohaku. The priest. The taijiya. Those children. They would get their warnings, he would see to it, he would do that much. They could flee the west until this was over, until Kuroshi was finished and free. She would still have those who were important to her, it would only be the nameless, faceless strangers that would be gone. The ones like the people of Hokido, like the soldiers who had scarred that foul word into perfect skin and shamed a girl who had not so much as a speck on her conscience. Like the ones that could not even stir feeling in a heart that was as pure as hers.

She had been a catalyst for retribution, and now she was a catalyst for something kinder. From wrathful to gentle. She was his only source of that last, and he liked that something in him, whatever it was, allowed him to be kind to her. It was as easy as extending a hand, which he did, an invitation, even though he knew he should not. She was not very strong at the moment, but there were several types of strength, and she was severely lacking the sort that had little to do with the state of her body. It was the sort of thing he was certain that he, of all people, was best equipped to heal. Convalescing within the walls of this room was doing her no favors, and so now he would take his turn.

Weary brown eyes met his. Pale, wrapped fingers reached for his own. There were no questions. There was no hesitation. But then, when had there ever been?

* * *

To be perfectly honest, Zadi had expected Inuyasha's arrival to spark some sort of meltdown, for him to be the final ingredient that would ignite the explosion that was building within the walls of Ayakami. It was not that she did not like him, but his temperament generally erred on the abrasive side and it mixed badly with certain other personalities. For that reason, she had expected him to be forcefully ejected from the premises as soon as Sesshoumaru returned. Surprisingly, that had not happened, and Kanaye had yet to react at all, mostly because he had nodded off into an all-consuming sleep. He was still seated where she had found him, bent awkwardly, arms crossed on knees, silver head buried in arms. He was an exceptionally light sleeper, she knew that from experience, and so she did not know whether to be relieved or concerned that Inuyasha's arrival had failed to rouse him at all. In fact, she felt certain that she could count on one hand the amount of times she had ever caught him sleeping; he was always alert, always ready. He could rarely relax. 

She was seated outside the door to the room that held Shinya. It was cracked enough for her to angle her head and eye him periodically. It also allowed her to communicate some with the others, who were huddled in the main room. There were alternate bouts of silence and attempts at light conversation, but mostly it was a somber group of people. Already, there were signs of escape; Furu was helping Sashe assemble the few servants to see to the packing and to dismiss them back to China. Lien was waiting on Kanaye, lingering to discuss where Shinya should go, and Zadi was grateful for the woman's patience.

Zadi glanced behind her once more and saw only the rhythmic rise and fall of his back. He had allowed her to clean his hands, but she had been completely unsuccessful in convincing him to get up and out and breathe some fresh air, to go rinse that gory filth off of him. He seemed content to wallow in it. And once he had discovered that she would not allow him the fight he was desperately digging for, he had fallen into a silent sulk, quickly followed by those seemingly unbreakable bonds of sleep. He was not the Kanaye she knew; the rampant mood swings were ever-present, but there was a certain fatalism to him now, coated by a heart-breaking bewilderment. He seemed to have no idea what to do with himself, how to move from this point. Honestly, it hurt to even look at him.

She thought back to that earlier tirade, and her mind fumbled once more through the angrily spoken words. He had sounded bitter, resentful, and that had been unexpected. It was true that she had felt certain she had outwitted the daimyou, and also true that Kanaye had warned her away from the man from the moment she began dealing with him. But how was she to simply stand by? The daimyou had taken to rounding up the local hanyou population with his pack of exterminators; many of them had gone into the cells beneath the castle and many more had simply disappeared. Who was there to care? The humans washed their hands of hanyou, the demons destroyed them on sight.

It had ended badly, so badly, and she wished more than anything that she had been there to stop it. Her stomach tightened into a sickening knot whenever she imagined it. That mix of Hokido soldiers and her people, led by Koron, her dear friend Koron, and those poor hanyou. Kanaye had kept true to his word when he had said he would not allow for her to make a deal with the daimyou. He had met them at the bridge that spanned the northern border and single-handedly destroyed every last soul … dozens upon dozens, and she had known nothing about it until he had returned to his home, trudged back through the snow with a layer of sneering defiance over the frosty armor, offering nonsense about how hanyou were good for little more than a drowning. In a way, she was also glad that she had _not _been there, because she was not sure what lengths he would have forced her to in order to make him stop, she was never sure how far he would push her. He liked to test her, like a child bending a stick to see how much stress it would actually take in order to make it snap. Now, though, it seemed there was a side to that conflict that she had missed entirely. He had ambushed them, but he had made it sound as though he had halted some sort of an invasion, and so now she wondered if, in some way, she should be thankful for what he had done. She did not have enough information and her mind was a muddle of confusion. It was something she intended to discuss with Sesshoumaru if she could get the man to allow her more than a half second of eye contact. After all, with Ashitera so intrinsically involved, surely he must know the truth behind it all?

Her head lifted when Inuyasha stalked inside and seated himself next to Kagome. Within a moment, he was sprawled out on the cold floor, arms folded behind his head, radiating impatience.

"That bastard just left with her. What the hell is he thinking?"

Kagome glanced at him in surprise, then agreed solemnly. "I don't think it's a good idea. She didn't look like she felt very well."

"He still owes me an explanation. I'll hunt his ass down if he's not back here by morning."

Silence greeted that, interrupted only by the periodic footfalls of Sashe and Furu from upstairs. Feeling restless, Zadi glanced behind her once more, but Lien's somber voice quickly tugged her attention back across the room.

"You should make him leave."

"Make him?" Zadi repeated dumbly. She felt certain that was akin to politely requesting that Mt. Fuji move a few ri to the south. The results would be the same, at least.

"This place is bad for him," Lien insisted quietly. "He is trapped here with the rest of them. You have to get him to leave."

"He is exhausted."

"And he has been that way for over six hundred years. Sleep will not help him." Lien blinked honest green eyes. "He is not finished. I have seen this before, and this is only the beginning. There is something in him that can only find peace with death, and so he deals it indiscriminately."

Zadi went cold at those words. They were accurate, she knew it, but Inuyasha brushed them off with an amused snort.

"Don't worry. If he tries anything else, Tessaiga will give him plenty of peace."

Lien looked toward Inuyasha, unimpressed. "If it was wielded by other hands, I would agree, but you are not his match. Not when the other side of him wakes. You do not know what I am speaking of."

Easily riled by the insinuation that he was unable to properly wield his sword, Inuyasha sat up with a scowl. "Just who are you, woman?"

Zadi had to give Lien some credit; she did not so much as blink at the disrespect. Instead, she pulled herself straight and fixed Inuyasha with a stare that could have melted through iron. "My name is Lien," she informed him imperiously, "but you may not call me that. Sesshoumaru has tried before and I have told him that he will never be old enough to call me that. You will not have that privilege, either."

"Heh. And what does he call you?"

"Oba-san."

"You're serious. I've got to see that."

"And you will call me the same. I will stand for nothing less."

"You're not my aunt, lady."

She folded slender arms, refusing to back down. "I will treat you the same as I do Sesshoumaru, so as far as I am concerned I see no difference. You were not fortunate enough to know the sort of man your father truly was. For him, you will be nothing less than what Sesshoumaru is to me. And because of that I will tell you now: remove your feet from the furnishings, be careful of your language, and never again call me 'lady' or 'woman'. Am I clear?"

"Hell," Inuyasha muttered, blinking at the reprimand.

"Inuyasha."

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha relented with the wave of a hand. "Then while we're waiting for the albino prince to return, why don't you fill me in on exactly why this place is such a soul-sucking hell-hole?"

Lien's expression became less stern then. She glanced uncertainly toward the door behind Zadi before lowering her voice. "It's not really my story to tell. I only witnessed part of it, and the rest comes from what your father told me."

"Not your story to tell?" Inuyasha repeated. "From what I can figure, it belongs to a bunch of dead people, so it might as well come from you."

Lien hesitated a moment longer before gracefully dropping to her knees, seating herself on the rug across from Inuyasha. "Your father once told me all of this in an effort to better help me understand Kanaye. I only knew him after all of this had taken place, I met him only days after the battle with Eido, and by then he was someone else. I spent most of my life trying to reform him, to bring him back to being the man your father knew. I failed, we all did, but I think this may be important for you to hear as well." She smiled faintly at Inuyasha, the earlier confrontation forgotten. "Your father once told me that if it was ever to be written with words, it should be called "The Waking Warrior and the Sleeping Monster." He laughed over that title. He said it sounded so indulgent and yet was so appropriate … he said that he could never quite decide who played the part of the warrior and who played the part of the monster. The battle carved Kanaye into something darker, it molded your father into a great man, but he was not very kind to himself. He sometimes wondered if he was, in fact, the monster … for siding against his brother in the end. He wondered if the true warrior was what emerged from Kanaye that night. He always said that, no matter what, a story such as this should not be written into history until it has been capped by a happy ending. He wanted to slay the monster and keep the man within, but he never discovered how to do it. His life ended without that much resolved, but then, I guess the end is still playing itself out, is it not?"

* * *

**This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but, honestly, it only seems that way. Know why? I hit 40 pages on the chapter and realized I still wasn't done and so, for the sake of being completely ridiculous, I have split it. Unfortunately, that means not much more than set up and a few explanations occur in this chapter, so I feel it is terribly boring. Because this is only 15 of those 40 pages, that means the next chapter is nearly finished as well, and it will begin directly with the flashback. It should actually take two chapters to get through that, because I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble of traveling back that far and detailing the backstory, at the very least the characters need some decent development and that's difficult to do in only one chapter. Plus, I want more time to write Sess-mama. xD**

**Anyway, that basically means the next chapter will be released this week as well. I was about to blow out my own record. The thing probably would have topped 50 pages … lol. Damn, someone make me shut up.**

**To the Reviewers:**

**_Angaloth:_** That's basically it, yeah. Kuroshi adores Sesshoumaru in just about all the number of ways you can adore another human being … lol. Sesshoumaru doesn't mind mostly because Kuroshi is very accommodating of him and is careful to watch out for him. The reason Kuroshi restarted the contract with Inutaisho will be taken care of in Chapter 9, and that should also help with any confusion over the details, I think. But, yes, Inutaisho made a deal with Kuroshi ages ago and was supposed to take his place, though, that didn't exactly work out. I'm glad the dialogue for the K/Z scene seemed okay. It felt weird to me, a little rushed. Actually, I'm not happy with the last chapter overall and I think I'll need to go back and spiff it up a little bit later on. Honestly, I don't really like Kagome, either. She's probably a bit out –of-character in my stories and that's mostly because I don't have a good grasp on her and also because she's a bit older in this. It would have been weird to make her act the same as she did when she was 15. Aww, thanks about Rin! I feel like I've never really dug in with her as much as I want to, which is why I'm torturing the poor girl now. She's so cheerful all the time and she needs some stuff to muddle through. And thank you! I had such a great V-Day. Pink roses and a double-decker box of Godiva chocolates. Woohoo!

**_Aurora83:_** Aww, thank you! And thank you again, actually, because I left one important sentence out of the last chapter and your review reminded me to rush back in and add it … lol. Basically, it comes down to this: the priests exterminated Shinya, which essentially just sent her off into the afterlife. That'll be detailed a bit more later, and Sesshoumaru brought it up a little in this chapter. But in my stories, Tenseiga basically works like this: Kuroshi creates the soul-bearers and sends them for the souls, Tenseiga has the power to destroy them, which reconnects the soul to the body, thus bringing the person back to life. However, no soul-bearers were sent for Shinya, since she was completely expelled from her body, and so he realized that, heart or no heart, he would not be able to rescue her. Kuroshi, on the other hand, has other methods, but I won't go into those until later, because it'll wreck some stuff … lol. And, yay, Inuyasha is finally there! I feel like I've been dragging that boy along for ages. I love having him around, and he's about to have an important dimension in this since he, of the three demons, is the one who is most interested in the welfare of humans. It's going to get messy … lol. I'm with you on canon Dad! Bring it, manga!!

**_Teela:_** Ohhh, not so quick this time, unfortunately. I had 3 massive exams in the space of about 10 days. It was brutal and it completely threw off my writing schedule. Sorry about the lack of Kanaye/Zadi. That will come, especially since Kanaye's about to have to pick and choose some loyalties. I'll be digging in more with him and her ( as well as Sesshoumaru/Rin) when I get to where I can split the group a few chapters from now. But, yes, she knows him very, very well. And she feels pretty bad for him, so it's kind of hard for her to be mad at him right now. He's about to make life very difficult for her, though, I'm afraid. As for the complex plot … dear God, I was thinking about that the other day. I'm really balancing too many different things in this, but I always, always make things too complicated. I am certain to screw this up at some point, but it's still fun! And that's what re-writes are for. Thank you for the sweet review. :)

**_LiliesforMary:_** This is my own fault. I'm often a little too subtle, I think. But, yes, the contract was mentioned briefly in Chapter 2 when Sesshoumaru mentioned Kuroshi to Rin. The exact details of the contract have been slower to come out for story-telling purposes, but that'll be cleared up soon. So, no, you did not miss a huge expose … that's still to come. :)

**_Ghost140:_** Yes, drama, drama, drama! I think this is where I get all of the melodrama out of my system. Fanfic is good for that. I'm not even close to book-writing level, but that would be fun to do some day (looong in the future … lol). I'm writing my own original stuff on the side, and this is basically my warm-up writing each day. Although, I'll admit, this has been getting more attention lately. For some reason, I write fanfic a good bit differently than "novel-style" writing. Not sure why that is. But, yep, yep … Kanaye doesn't have a "human" side at all, I don't think ... lol. In my mind, demons have feelings, they're just wired very differently and their temperaments reflect that. His issues stem from more than just being a youkai, though, and I'll get into that. There's just something wrong with him. No, no … lol … no one wanted to keep a hanyou. I'll go more into what happened with that when Zadi discusses it with Sesshoumaru. It ties in with what's going on with Ashitera, so it's all one big mess. 'Freakin' sweet' … that makes me think of a Family Guy episode I saw recently … lol. Thanks! xD

_**Koyuki-san:**_ Yeah, when I was writing that scene I was thinking back to WS when he had trouble identifying the exact purpose and function of 'friendship' and so I was thinking, "Ya know, he's not even going to recognize what this is." He has the emotional grasp of a 5-year-old … lol. Ohhh … writing Inutaisho has been so much fun. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm nearly done with the next chapter as well. Chapter 8 focuses a good deal on Kanaye's point of view (necessary, for that part of it), but Inutaisho will take over in Chapter 9. I'm trying not to make him too perfect, honestly. He's a good guy, but he needs flaws, I think. Oh, about Kuroshi … yeah, that scene pretty much just scratched the surface, just enough to give some idea of what's going on. There was a mechanical reason for that: I wanted to avoid a 30-page scene that was little more than an info dump, so I just brushed on the main points to keep it from getting too long and drawn out. Sesshoumaru will reveal more when he has his chat with the others. Plus, Kuroshi's not done yet. But maybe I can recap it a bit better here: Kuroshi's role is to see to it that human souls are "escorted" to the afterlife. He creates the soul-bearers for that purpose. The souls are then sent through the gate to the afterlife. The gate itself is now closed, which means we have dead humans piling up on top of each other. Lots of lingering, sad, angry souls. It's creating a 'poisonous' environment, which is killing more humans and making the problem worse. Some are disturbed enough to form into youkai (kind of like that youkai that took on Inuyasha's mother's form in the anime … she was the soul of a woman who had lost her child, etc). Since Kuroshi doesn't want to trap Sesshoumaru at the gate, he has chosen instead to allow the humans to wither and die. He'll be free and Sesshoumaru will be as well. Happy ending! Er … yeah. Hope that helps a little. Heheh … actually, Inuyasha and Kagome's noses are about to be shoved right where they definitely belong. Something tells me Inuyasha's not gonna let Big Brother just sit around and let the humans die off. ;) That's going to be so ugly … lol.

**_Sandpit:_** Oh, not at all … I'm totally teasing. xD I miss writing her, too, actually, but I'm not done with her yet, so I'll get to do a bit more with her. Yay … thanks about Kuroshi. I was kinda worried that he comes off as a giant pervert or something. He's supposed to be odd, but not that odd … lol. But I figure anyone that spends hundreds and hundreds of years alone won't be normal, anyway. I got to touch on some of Rin's issues here, though her "conflict" with Sesshoumaru won't really show up for a few more chapters. Poor girl is having a bit of an identity crisis. She doesn't really recognize herself at the moment. The Inutaisho-Kanaye-Sess-mama hang out starts next chapter (might be released by tomorrow if I can get through and clean it up quickly enough) … and the Inutaisho-Kuroshi hang-out will be Chapter 9.

**_SusanneTJ:_** Aww, thank you! I'm dreading it a bit, too, actually. It's going to get a lot messier, but I'm going to try to lighten it up here and there, so it's not just utterly depressing. Good, I'm glad some of your questions were answered. It's tough to judge what is too much information and what isn't enough. I feel like answers are coming slowly, and unfortunately, that's due to the way I plotted this thing. And, yes, that's why long chapters are just necessary. It is so hard to develop characters and move a story along in a short chapter. I don't know how people do it, but I'm not capable of it. I try not to drone on for too long, but really, if I was left to my own devices, this thing would probably speed past five hundred thousand words with no problem. I am aiming for more Sess/Rin development in this, I really want to play with them some more, but as far as happiness for Kanaye … really, I'm not sure what's going to happen with him. I have three different endings in mind with him (I always give myself several ways out), and I guess I'll do whatever feels right at the time. He's probably going to be a different man at the end of this, one way or another.

_**Lennex:**_ Hi! Heheh … thanks. I've done a bit of development on Furu in the first part, because he's about to disappear for a while. I'm balancing waaaay too many people and it's hurting the pace of the story. Time to wrap this part up and move it on! And thank you about Inutaisho. I really enjoy writing him. I see him as very kind and good-natured, but he is still a youkai, so he's just not going to be an angel. xD

**_Midnight Lady:_** Ohhhh, you are very close. Actually, it's a good deal more evil than even that, and so I'll say a few things because I don't feel like this spoils anything, since this part of it is basically laid out in the open. Most of the main characters in this are being faced with a complete lose-lose situation:

_Sesshoumaru_ – He can fulfill his father's obligation, but he will lose his life, basically. He will spend eternity completely alone and doing something he does not want to do. Or he can let the humans die, which brings in issues with Rin and, really, it would ruin everything his father worked for.

_Kanaye_ – He can get his daughter back (though he doesn't know it yet), but he'd have to kill Kuroshi and sacrifice Sesshoumaru to do it. That would also wreck everything he fought for as well, and that effort will be touched on in the next chapter.

_Inuyasha_ – His interest would clearly be in protecting the humans, but it puts him in a place where he'd have to destroy someone who is not evil (Kuroshi). And Inuyasha has issues with Sesshoumaru, but I don't think he'd feel very good about leashing the guy to that gate forever. However, he has friends and family that he will want to protect.

So … yeah … and I agree with you. Sesshoumaru is the sort who will see to his responsibilities, but he's also incredibly selfish, and those two sides are about to go to war. These poor people are going to have to work out their loyalties … lol. But, yes, I will cover the details of the contract in Chapter 9.

Now for the questions:

_The Shikon no Tama_ – Kagome still has the shard, but it does not attract demons any longer because the source of its power (Midoriko's soul) is gone. Midoriko was "freed" and then later reborn as Miya, so I guess Miya is a little walking Shikon no Tama. ;) But that's why I never mention it. It was only useful as a means to get her back and forth between times.

_Kisho and Kameko_ – Good question. They still exist, but the problem is this: I've had no reason to write them in to the plots. They weren't tied to anything that occurred in WS and, thus far at least, they're not involved in anything in this. I try to move the plots along as much as I can, and so it probably would have been awkward for Rin to drop a random mention of them or something when they haven't had a place in the story. I haven't found a way to tie them back in, basically, and since I'm trying to cut the amount of characters to only the ones I need to tell the story, they've sort of suffered for that.

Thank you very much:)

**_BB:_** Yeah, really, it was meant to be sad, since there was a death so recently, but I'm about to switch tracks and head into a different section of the story, so it won't stay "sad" exactly … just "conflicted", I guess. Heheh! Yes, I was so happy to write Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha in this one, although I had to split them again for a little bit, so there'd be enough quiet and downtime for Lien to detail the backstory. I kind of struggled with who would be best for telling it, and I figured she really was the only one. Sesshoumaru's not gonna turn chatty and Kanaye sure as hell isn't going to volunteer anything, so … she wins by default! And you're right … he does need chocolate. I should share some of my leftover V-Day chocolate with him, but … actually, isn't chocolate poisonous for dogs? xD

_**New Fan:**_ Yeah, the e-mail notices from this site are really patchy lately. That's been going on for a while, unfortunately. As for your questions:

The story Kanaye told to Zadi was true. I'll go into that again later on because it ties to the problems with Ashitera. Basically, when he discovered that Zadi was dealing with the daimyou, he went into "hunt" mode. Zadi made a deal with the daimyou to remove the hanyou he was holding in exchange for her training some of his priests. Naturally, because of what happened between Hokido and his family, Kanaye went a bit nuts and destroyed the group that was heading back to Zadi's village … basically it was made up of the hanyou refugees, soldiers from Hokido, and some representatives from Zadi's village. Kanaye's original intent was to destroy the soldiers, but Zadi's people attacked him and … it kind of went badly from there. But, on the whole, he was trying to prevent Hokido from destroying Zadi's village in the same way they had helped destroy Kanaye's family. Whether the plot against Zadi was all in his head or not, only Kanaye knows. Well, actually, Ashitera knows as well, but that'll be dealt with later.

About Rin – she's kind of a mess at the moment … lol. She's actually quite upset with Sesshoumaru for what happened in Hokido, but she's more upset with herself because she thinks she's not feeling as much as she "should". Hokido is only the start of their problems, though. She'll have something to be more upset with him about later on.

Inuyasha and Kagome's part – Basically, Inuyasha is there because he's the one that will fight for the humans. Sesshoumaru and Kanaye are both horribly selfish and they're going to fight over their own interests, but Inuyasha will legitimately want to do the right thing, and I needed someone in this who would play that part.

Kuroshi said that he would win by breaking the contract because the deaths of the humans in the west would mean he would no longer be forced to guard the gate. He would be freed and he would not have to force Sesshoumaru to uphold Inutaisho's end of the agreement. Alternatively, if Kanaye discovers what is going on and kills him in an attempt to get to Shinya, Kuroshi still feels that he will have won because, even though he'd be dead, he'd be free of the gate. However, if Kanaye kills him, the contract will be immediately enforced, and Sesshoumaru will take Kuroshi's place.

Kuroshi "broke" the contract by closing the gate. He is ignoring his duties, which means the dead human souls have no place to go. Because they are lingering, they are creating a poisonous environment, which is killing other humans and, thus, making the problem even worse. The immediate danger to the western humans is that they are being passively exterminated.

Sesshoumaru would have to take Kuroshi's place because of the deal Inutaisho made with Kuroshi. That will be detailed in Chapter 9, but since Sesshoumaru now wields Tenseiga and its ability to resurrect humans, he is the one who will have to replace Kuroshi if the contract is ever called in.


	8. The Waking Warrior

**8 - The Waking Warrior **

It had been chosen as fairly neutral territory, a meeting site that all parties actually agreed on, that would not inconvenience one side much more than another. That was how the lords always interacted with one another, a carefully orchestrated dance, a movement this way, a movement that way, fake smiles plastered on faces even as toes were trod upon, some with insincere apology, some with gleeful intention.

Unfortunately, the individual that owned the site was Lord Eido. That meant that the extravagance of the island fortress was being flaunted full bore; there were hangings and scrolls and delicate pieces of artwork on obvious display. The table was inlaid with jade and pearl; the cushions were a tasseled silk and looked as though they had been imported on camel-back straight from the distant deserts. There was the low murmuring of voices, of people who would all rather be elsewhere, of some who would rather stick a dagger in the back of another than sit beside them.

Inutaisho was seated near the end of the table, close to Eido, but he was not foolish enough to take that as some superficial sign of respect. It was because he was being watched, because they were listening to him, because their very servants had been trained to watch him and to listen to him. It was a scrutiny he was accustomed to, and he had become adept at forming an expression of distant politeness, feigning interest where there was none. He was good at choosing his words, words that sounded nice when they were put together but, when sliced apart, meant absolutely nothing. The tension between Eido and his father could have been sliced by a blade if they'd been allowed to wear them to the table, but Inutaisho had learned from the best, and his father, even seated beside his greatest enemy, was behaving as though he was eating alongside a long-trusted friend.

A serving girl bent next to him, long silky hair hanging loose, a pair of thin golden chains dangling from a delicate throat. His head automatically turned toward her, entranced by that exceedingly feminine smell he loved so much. Her skin blushed faintly at his study and he withheld the smile that wanted to form, looking on dispassionately as pale-sleeved hands left behind another small tray of food. She rose from her knees and moved away, leaving him to mourn the obvious lack of lovely young servants in his father's home. He could safely guess the culprit behind that, however: his sister saw to the hiring of workers and she was painfully aware of Father's wandering eye and Inutaisho's rampant affection for women.

He felt a weighted stare hone in on him then, like a hawk on a field mouse, and turned to his left to find his younger brother smirking at him.

"The food is on the _plate_, Nii-sama."

"Be silent." Really, the brat was too smart for his own good. Kanaye was little more than a boy, stuck in that odd stage between child and adult. He looked older than he was because he was big for his age and he knew more than he should because he spent too much time in silent contemplation of his studies and of others.

"Besides, I'm not sure why you're wasting your time looking at her … when you _could_ be looking at _her_," Kanaye murmured, golden eyes darting from his brother's displeased expression to further down the table.

Inutaisho already knew who the boy was alluding to, but he had steadfastly taken to avoiding that end of the table. There was a young female there, posture as erect and imperious as though she were some queen holding court. She was pale as cream and had hair that was an odd mix of silver and light gold, like falling starlight. But what caught his attention most was that alluring mark on her forehead, a lavender crescent-shape that gave rise to all manner of moon goddess allusions in his mind. Indeed, he would have enjoyed nothing better than to sit and absorb her for the duration of the meal, but that would be dreadfully impolite … and there was also the fact that she simply would not allow it. Every time his eyes so much as grazed in her direction, she would turn on him and meet the stare full bore, face devoid of expression, neither welcoming nor forbidding.

She was sitting beside Eizan and that made Inutaisho rather annoyed. In fact, he had to judge that Eizan had the best seat in the house, since that enchanting girl was on his left and another young beauty was on his right. The other was pretty in a wholesome, sun-bronzed way and Inutaisho could not judge which one, if either, was of any interest to Eizan. He certainly hoped it was not the girl Kanaye had noted, because she would be severely wasted on someone like Eizan, who no doubt performed certain carnal behaviors with the skill of a beached whale thrashing around in utter confusion.

_Wasted, indeed_, he thought disconsolately.

He made the mistake of looking her way once more, and that pair of clover-colored eyes immediately met him in full appraisal. His father's voice broke into distracted thoughts, and he turned, idly recalling the reason he was there at all. He watched them, the calm silver-haired western lord and the quick-tempered northern counterpart, gathering what he could from the remains of their conversation.

" …we can argue this, but it is not suitable for a dinner shared between friends, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah, this is not an argument, Kazuya," Eido countered with a broad smile and a dishonest lilt. "I was simply saying that my copies of the terrain maps clearly show that you have overstepped the lines at the border to the southwest. We have never acknowledged that our realm stopped short of the mountain pass. That is an awkward boundary line."

"Awkward or not, it is fact," Inutaisho joined in firmly, bringing his father's eyes toward him. As usual, he was unsure of whether he was overstepping his own bounds, but his father's nature was, at times, a bit too peaceful, too accommodating, which meant that dealing with a snake such as Eido was best left in the hands of Inutaisho.

Eido's smile was decidedly unfriendly. "My maps are older than you are, boy."

"Then clearly they are in need of updating," Inutaisho replied amiably. "Your father was the one to offer that to us in exchange for the burial grounds to the east. Those are important to your family, are they not? That was why it was changed and our map bears your own father's notation and seal."

"You are certainly mistaken. At that time, we did not even speak the same language. We were rather slow to adjust to the customs of this land. Translators were needed for everything and those people are long dead. Who is there to translate for you?"

Inutaisho's answering smile was lazy. "My brother is exceptionally talented with words." He angled his head toward the boy beside him. "Kanaye? The map of the northwest border … you translated that recently, didn't you?"

"Ages ago," Kanaye mumbled the correction around a mouthful of rice.

"And what did it say? Original form, no translation needed."

Kanaye looked up, coppery eyes aiming toward the wide-beamed ceiling in thought. He scoured his memory for a moment and then began to recite a stream of foreign words in a bored monotone. It was nothing more than gibberish to most of the guests at the table, but it had its desired effect. Eizan looked up quickly from where he had been admiring one of the women with lascivious glee, amethyst eyes fixating on the western dogs with a wary stare. Eido's face darkened and he interrupted Kanaye with an impatient wave of a massive hand.

"Who taught him that?" Eido demanded.

"No one. He taught himself," Inutaisho replied honestly.

"It's an easy dialect to pick up," Kanaye supplied, cutting a disinterested look at Eido. "Simplistic and repetitious. The same sounds with varying lengths. It suits the north, really."

Inutaisho experienced a moment of frozen horror at the boy's words, stated so matter-of-factly that they cut through the smarmy layer of politeness that had been coating the table. That feeling was quickly replaced by the nearly uncontrollable urge to laugh; it was so understatedly rude, he was not even certain who had understood what had been said. Other conversations at the table continued, oblivious, but it had not gotten past Eido or Eizan, who were clearly fuming with unvoiced temper. Nor, apparently, had it escaped their father.

"Kanaye!" Kazuya hissed the reprimand.

"Yes, Father?"

"You are finished. Leave the table. I don't want to see you again until we leave."

"Yes, Father."

Schooling his face into a disapproving calm, Inutaisho listened with one ear as his father apologized to Eido for Kanaye's poor manners. His eyes drifted after his brother, though, who paused long enough to throw him a wicked smirk before disappearing out the screen doors. He then turned his attention back to the others at the sprawling table, eyes passing once more over the goddess at Eizan's left. She was watching him with an inscrutable expression, but his rapturous fixation on her was broken when Eizan quietly excused himself and exited behind Kanaye. Certain that this would lead to trouble, Inutaisho nearly got to his feet, but the girl halted him with a subtle shake of her head. She rose with the grace of a dancer, robes falling in silky folds as she moved to follow them.

It was an endless exercise in patience, sitting there long enough to appear polite and interested. He made a half-hearted attempt to eat the food and he conversed easily enough with the others. At some point, his father must have won Eido back into a generous mood because they settled on a subject matter that was less argumentative, something that led them to laugh uproariously at some shared joke. It was then that Inutaisho took his leave.

Eido's island fortress was built more in the western style, a monolithic creation of stone and damp darkness and a torturously awkward layout. Inutaisho always found it a bother to navigate, but on this occasion it was made easier by the fact that he was certain he could track his brother's scent absolutely anywhere. He ascended a long set of steps that spiraled in upon itself and passed through a cavernous room filled with all manner of silk hangings, noting the change in light and that he was drawing closer to an exit. And, indeed, Kanaye's scent was intertwined with the clean snow-smell that emanated from the open balcony.

The harsh glare of winter daylight greeted him along with the unmistakable sounds of violence. There was the familiar snapping-crack of a bone stressed to fracture and a pained shout that quickened his steps. Inutaisho had yet to see Eizan in battle, but knew that day was sure to come in the near future and that the man had likely been carefully groomed by his brother. Without question, Eido was one talented bastard on a battlefield, murderous and unrelenting. Eizan was older and certainly more experienced than Kanaye, who spent more time with words than with weapons. For that reason, Inutaisho could admit that he expected to arrive upon a completely different scene than the strange one that greeted his entrance on the balcony.

It was that girl, the pale one with the star-colored hair and she was laughing, a young, girlish giggle that did not seem to fit the seriousness of her or the situation at hand. Eizan was bent and clutching his nose, blood dripping between clenched fingers, splattering fat droplets against snow-swept stone. Kanaye stood across from him, hands held loosely at his sides, and when Inutaisho arrived, the boy looked up and shrugged lazily as though to say, _"He had it coming."_

"I've pulled my nose out of my studies enough to learn how to throw a decent punch," Kanaye said calmly. "I'd suggest you do the same. But if you really want to take your life in your own hands, repeat what you said for my brother. He's right behind you. You won't see it coming, I can promise."

The girl's laughter faded some, and Eizan lifted his face from his hands, exposing a nose that had been all but smashed beyond recognition. Kanaye made the mistake of tossing an easy grin at the girl, an understandable error in Inutaisho's judgment, and Eizan took that moment to strike out with one hand, a snake surging toward prey. Bloody fingers wrapped around the boy's throat, but before Kanaye could even turn his head, Inutaisho had his own arm around Eizan, clawed fingers splayed against his back, prepared to shove through to something thoroughly vital.

"Let him go. I'm wearing my best robes today. I will resent having your blood on them."

"He's a disrespectful brat," Eizan hissed.

"He has no mind for the dishonesty the rest of us indulge in. Adjust to that before I force you to expel your insides."

The hand loosened and Eizan stepped away, clearly giving priority to moving out of claw range. He aimed a frigid, leering glare at Inutaisho, who judged that it was difficult for a man to look intimidating when his face has just been so thoroughly rearranged. "You call it dishonesty, and I would agree, so shall we have a moment of truth?" Eizan smiled through bloody lips. "I think you are blinded by your own arrogance and self-importance and questionable talent. They lavish you with wild acclaim as though you were some great, infallible god. I am utterly sick of you. Whatever my brother may have in mind for the west, my only goal is to one day force you to your knees."

Highly aware of the girl's presence, Inutaisho took a step forward and leaned in to reply in scant whisper. "Eizan, it grieves me to tell you that I only fall to my knees for one act and that is meant to fulfill the desire of someone a good deal more feminine than you." He pulled back then and cocked his head in feigned sympathy. "You will have to pursue another goal, I am afraid."

Eizan sneered at that, though it came off as more of a grimace than anything truly mocking. He passed cold inspection over Inutaisho and Kanaye before coming to rest on the girl. He offered her the hand that had managed to stay clean. "Come, let's go."

"I am not a pet to be summoned, Eizan, and I am fine where I am," she replied coolly, showing, much to Inutaisho's relief, no inclination to reach for that hand.

Once Eizan had crept from the room, Inutaisho turned on Kanaye questioningly. "What did he say to provoke you?"

He shrugged noncommittally.

"Eizan said that your sister was a better son to the west than either of you. Useless, he called you, I think," the girl spoke up.

"He used an impolite term for Nee-sama," Kanaye admitted. "I didn't argue about the uselessness. We all know that's fact."

"Oh, certainly," Inutaisho agreed, an easy grin crossing his face. "But you were wrong to defend her for that. She will be nothing short of pleased by Eizan's words. Nee-sama's always considered herself a better man than either of us. Make sure you tell her when we get back."

"That's fine, but I won't hear him say it." Kanaye cast a cursory look over their spectator. "Did you come to rescue me from him? You wasted your time. Eizan's an easy mark. All you have to do is take a swing at his pretty face and he flinches away like a girl."

"Like a girl, hmm?" she repeated smoothly.

Flawless lips curved into a thin smile and Inutaisho fixated on them, a pale, pearlescent pink. She smelled like … his mind fumbled for a word, but it only came out as 'clean'. She smelled like clean_. Thankfully, you did not say something so stupid aloud …_

"Did he offend you?" Inutaisho asked curiously.

"I can promise you this boy does not have the ability to offend me. I only thought his choice of words was interesting," she said in a measured tone and those green eyes locked in on Inutaisho with the same unapologetic stare she had wielded at the dinner table. "You are your family's guardian, aren't you? Their prized workhorse. I recognize you, because I am the same."

"The same?"

"You were interesting to watch. Your hands were already moving before Eizan even touched your brother. That is a trained instinct to deflect harm from another. If you ever reached for my sister, you would see the same from me."

_If your sister looks anything like you, that would be difficult to avoid_, his mind admitted. But something told him that this girl was not speaking idly. She was dressed like a princess, but she moved differently, like a woman entirely capable of traversing easily between filthy battle and prim formality, and she watched things with eyes that were keen and calculating.

Her gaze slid back to Kanaye then, and she prompted him with an impatient tone. "I encountered you first. It is very rude not to start the introduction."

"Oh, _he'll_ take care of the introductions," Kanaye sneered, but she turned a frosty, unhappy look on him and he exhaled a worn sigh. "Yeah, I'm Kanaye. This is my older brother, the great and mighty Inutaisho-sama. Fear his name and all of that nonsense, but don't let his manners fool you. He just loves women. All women. Human, youkai; old, young, and younger still. It's damned creepy."

Those startling eyes reverted to Inutaisho. "Is that so?" she murmured thoughtfully.

Inutaisho's fangs gritted together. "Thank you for that, Kanaye. I can always count on you to introduce me as some sort of uncontrollable pervert."

"My pleasure."

Inutaisho managed a pained smile for the girl. "And are we allowed an equally humiliating introduction from you?"

"Oh, so that _was_ an accurate description?" she questioned curiously, eyebrows rising. She did not seem put off, only interested, as though she had just discovered something utterly foreign. "That was refreshingly honest. It's rare to find an opponent that will display himself so openly."

"Opponent?" Inutaisho repeated stupidly, certain that this had suddenly gone very, very wrong.

"Everyone is my opponent. It is only a matter of degrees," she explained, blinking slowly, and he was awed to find that she even managed to blink seductively. "I will not give myself away so easily," she added airily, as though reading his thoughts, turning neatly on her heels in preparation to leave them. "If your brother's description of you is accurate, I am sure you will be sorry to hear that. I will tell you now that I have no tolerance for useless, overly-charming, womanizing princes. However, I will make a small allowance for you. You have a very pretty face and I am quite superficial in that regard."

Inutaisho's mouth opened in amazement and the walls suddenly echoed with Kanaye's obnoxiously satisfied laughter. "Name?" he sighed, certain that his reputation for being charming was utterly and totally baseless.

"Do you need it? Will I see you again?" The tone was not hopeful, merely analytical, as though she really was deciding if it was necessary information to impart.

"I'd like it."

"Seiya."

"Seiya," he repeated obediently, feeling like some stupid boy.

"And Kanaye …?" she called, angling her head toward him.

Kanaye stopped cackling long enough to choke out a reply. "Yeah?"

"Tuck the thumb next time. You will break it if you keep hitting people like that."

"Heh. What do I care? It hurts worse the way I do it."

She smiled honestly then, serene as an angel, and then she was gone. Inutaisho turned a suffering look on Kanaye, but it was ignored as the boy folded his arms and declared, "That is her. She's perfect. If she doesn't end up your mate, then I'll make her mine some day. You can stop being the family guard dog then. You can join me in being utterly useless, because something tells me that woman is entirely capable of destroying you."

* * *

The sword's blade gleamed from the careful routine of sharpening and polishing. That accomplished, he resheathed it with an easy motion, attaching it at the waist before reaching for the chest guard and tying it into place. The movements were thoughtless, routine, and because he was so accustomed to making them, Inutaisho's mind was free to be full of starlit hair and a flawless, unimpressed smile. It had taken a good deal of questioning, mostly in the form of cornering Eido's reluctant servants, but he had gleaned a thoroughly satisfying amount of information about her. 

Seiya. The daughter of a wealthy Chinese merchant and a Japanese princess. Full dog youkai. An impeccable lineage. And, apparently, rumored to be a source of ungodly fright in a battle. It nearly made him want to wage war on the mainland. Just the thought of her dispassionate stare resting on him from across a battlefield was enough to make him restless and agonizingly frustrated. Or, better, yet … to have her on the same side, to have the absolute pleasure of knowing she would go home with him at the end of it all. That would be entirely agreeable. Thoughts were full of white skin and a mocking disdain for him that did little to bruise his ego and more to make him want to prove her wrong, and he could think of several ways in which he was sure to impress her. He was a disgusting heathen, he knew it, but he was also aware that he did not have the sense to be shamed by it.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the door to his room slid open unannounced, and he knew the intruder from that alone. Nee-sama poked her silvery head in and then entered as though there had been some expressed invitation. She regarded the miniscule room with critical appraisal before turning back to him with a faint smirk.

"Not at all what you're used to at home, is it, Your Highness?"

"Mostly because you laid claim to the largest room," he idly reminded her. "And it doesn't matter. Ayakami isn't meant for comfort."

"It certainly isn't," she agreed. "It's unbearably cold here, but I think Father made the right decision. Or, rather, _you_ made the right decision."

He glanced carefully at her. "I only nudged Father in the right direction. He does not take Eido as seriously as he should."

Unable to help herself, she moved to rearrange the bed coverings to her liking, folding and smoothing fabric that was already neat. It had been diligently attended by one of the servants, but this was a woman who demanded an obscene level of perfection, and anything less tended to throw her into a frightening fit of temper that could nearly make a man religious. "If you are so worried, then why not leave Mother's escort to another? Or simply tell her 'no'?"

He bent and adjusted one heavy boot, but lifted his eyes long enough to say, "It is because I _am_ worried that I will not leave her to another, and I will not tell my mother 'no'. She never asks me for anything, and she has asked to visit Asira-sama. There has been no sign of any movement across the border and I will be back by morning. If they move, Hokido will light their guard tower. There will be plenty of warning."

"No need to convince me," she smirked. "If he comes, it will end quickly. I will be here. You have raw talent, but I am smarter."

"I am aware of that much, Nee-sama," he smiled, rising to his feet. "And you have Kanaye here as well."

"Oh, certainly. If I need a translator, he'll be called right out to the front lines."

He angled his neck so that he could snap the shoulder armor into place, but she moved to do it for him, seeing to the task with swift fingers. He took the free moment to admonish her lightly. "You underestimate him, just as Father does. He has the talent and the skill set, but he lacks the experience. When I return, I am going to change that. The days of security are coming to an end. Eido will move toward us one day. Kanaye is too old to be coddled any longer."

"He's just a boy."

"In your mind, he will still be a boy even when he is my size."

"That much is true," she admitted. She then pulled back and regarded him sternly, like a commander preparing to give orders. "Then escort mother, but return here immediately. No dawdling around that human town and, for heaven's sake, Nii-sama, keep your filthy hands off Asira-sama's serving girls."

He smiled but said nothing to that, unwilling to admit that there was no room for anyone's lovely servants in his thoughts, because they were filled securely with images of a haughty Chinese princess.

"And take care," she added more solemnly, auburn eyes suddenly uncertain. "I have a bad feeling about you going off alone with Mother. Eido knows what you are to us. He will surely want to remove you first."

"Oh, I sincerely hope that he tries," Inutaisho said grimly, the smile of a moment before fading into utmost seriousness. "It would be over quickly. He is very good, but not good enough, I can promise you that."

"You can always survive off of that endless supply of arrogance," she sighed, waving a dismissive hand at him as she returned to the door.

He called her back. "Shinya."

She turned, questioning, hands moving to rest impatiently on hips.

"If anything happens, light the tower," he said. "If I am in range at all, I will see it and I will be here."

She sneered at that. "Who needs you, baka? Father has a contingent of oversized, katana-toting goons sprawled around the entire perimeter. And, more importantly, he has me. You are just the spare in my shadow."

* * *

She did it again. She obliterated it, and he buried a frustrated face into his hands. It was a good name, one with meaning, and she had reduced it to some obnoxious pet name, one that his sisters had gleefully taken up. He was no longer Kanaye, the Smart one or Kanaye, the Silent one. He had been reduced to … Yaye-kun. It was humiliating. Not even Sesali, the baby, had to endure such shame, and he was bent on fixing the source of the problem. 

He lifted his eyes to his overly-cheerful student and found Kaia smiling at him in a way that was unsure. The table they were seated at was littered with paper and with writing implements. Snow capped the flat grounds outside, making Ayakami Plain look like an endless white sea. Daylight was casting blinding rays into the room, prompting him to miss the darkness and seclusion of screens. But screens weren't exactly meant for a fortress. This place was a solid lump of rock with thick walls and tiny windows and small rooms. It was all meant to be easily defended, but Kanaye barely cared; that was his father's place, his brother's place, not his.

He gestured for her to say it again and he resisted the urge to grasp onto her face and _make_ it form the right movements. She was certainly living up to her hanyou heritage by being such a thorn in his side. This particular hanyou had been found washed up on the beach like some unwanted piece of refuse. She had been unable to communicate effectively and it had taken only a few moments to realize the girl did not have ears … quite literally. Eventually, with gesturing and some other ridiculous attempts at communication, she had relayed that her better half was that of a bat demon. Kanaye had found that so ironic, a deaf bat hanyou, that he had immediately succumbed to a fit of cackling laughter. In hindsight, that had certainly appeared mean-spirited, but, really, it had all been so ridiculous he could hardly be blamed.

His father had insisted on allowing her to remain for a while. Typical. The girl was pretty in an obvious, overly-endowed sort of way, and so Kanaye was not surprised at the insistence that she stay on as part of the household help … and even less surprised by his older sister's stern disapproval. His father's wandering eye was what had caused the massive age gap between Iriko and Kanaye, nearly a century. Kanaye figured his mother was too forgiving, and that that forgiveness was the only reason he and Sesali existed at all.

But he had grown weary of watching Kaia fumble about in confused silence and had added her into his studies twice a week. She was grateful and attentive, a willing student, and he could admit to finding some satisfaction in transforming her into someone who could communicate on more than a rudimentary level. She had taken on the rather amusing habit of watching people's lips as they spoke, and because she interacted with him the most, she was most comfortable with his words.

"Say it," he enunciated carefully and Kaia gave him one of those vapid smiles again. Her arms were folded on the table and she was leaning intently forward, bronze hair spiraling loosely across her shoulders and giving her the air of a puppy eagerly awaiting a command from its master.

"Kayaye."

"Ka_na_ye!"

"Kanaye."

He glanced up at that echo and found his brother eyeing him from the threshold of the room. Everyone always commented on how they favored each other, but Kanaye could barely see it. For one thing, his brother was fully grown, his true form was nearly the size of their father's now and Kanaye, in comparison, often felt like some hairless whelp whenever he was called off to see to some mundane task with them. Inutaisho was tall and solidly built and an obnoxiously accurate representation of his own presumptuous name. Kanaye was struggling to catch up; he was tall for his age, but the two hundred year gap between him and his brother made him feel like some snot-nosed brat in comparison. Of course, if one took personality into account, there was no likeness at all. Inutaisho was the shining prince, the prime example of youkai perfection in every obnoxious word and deed. He was good at everything, and he'd had such a head start that Kanaye was barely inclined to follow in his footsteps, did not want to linger in that shadow. Kanaye's realm was learning. He could recite whole texts, he could fluently speak and write seven separate languages and was currently working on two others. He had outgrown his own tutors years ago, and that was fine, because they had been useless anyway.

"What is it?" he asked as Inutaisho stepped into the room and nodded a silent greeting to Kaia.

"I'm leaving to escort Mother to the southern border. I should be back sometime in the early morning, but you'll need to be more alert today."

"Heh. Sure."

Inutaisho looked to Kaia, smiling faintly as he said carefully, "Is he treating you well?"

"No, I'm not," Kanaye admitted, speaking for her. "I'm about to strangle her. I've worked with her for months. She's not stupid, Nii-sama, I've got her reading and writing Japanese and Chinese fluently. She just can't say anything properly. She inverts the "n" sound and the "y" sound. It's ridiculous."

"Yaye-kun?" Inutaisho grinned.

"Iyutaisho-sama," Kanaye grimly replied.

"Ah, that does change things, doesn't it?"

"Nee-sama and the other girls think it's hilarious. I can't make them stop."

"It wouldn't be so funny if you were not always so serious. You've never allowed them to pet you and treat you like the baby brother and so now they've been gifted with an overly cute name for you."

"And what should I do about it?"

"It's Nee-sama. Endure it," Inutaisho advised sincerely.

Kanaye's eyes slitted in annoyance. That said it all right there. Inutaisho was the oldest by a good thirty years and even he called his younger sister 'Nee-sama'. The woman was a force to be reckoned with. Where their mother was rather meek and gentle, Nee-sama was a source of fiery temper and inexhaustible lectures. The boys, most especially, spent an alarming amount of time at the other end of one of her dagger-tipped fingers, having earned some venomous reprimand.

"We are outnumbered," Kanaye sighed his exhaustion. "Father always sides with them, anyway."

Inutaisho nodded in shared defeat. "Father is rather smart in that way. 'Your home is only as happy as your women', right? Four daughters means we were defeated from the start. I cannot tell you how grateful I was when you were a boy." He paused then and said, "Speaking of which, since Father has taken on the task of training the older girls, he has left you to me."

"Training?" Kanaye repeated absently. "I've had all I need, thanks."

"You have excellent skills, that I will admit, however," and the kind face became suddenly stern, "you have a sad lack of experience. Father may not see it as much of a weakness, but I do. Pretty swordsmanship will not save your neck. Eido has become more restless, and I want to make certain you have some degree of battle experience in case anything should happen. We'll start taking care of that when I return tomorrow."

"Battle experience?" Kanaye questioned lazily. "So … then does that mean I'm supposed to go start a fight with someone?"

Inutaisho nodded, appearing humored. "Yes, please do, but choose carefully. You should be able to handle it. You have a talent for being quarrelsome, and so, just this once, I will allow you to indulge it."

"Fine, but remember that you asked for it," Kanaye said carelessly. Inutaisho moved to leave, and Kanaye looked after him, mind falling back to the earlier admonition. "Be careful."

Without breaking stride, Inutaisho glanced over one shoulder, the easy grin falling back into place. "Who are you talking to?"

There was a snort of amusement. "Don't make me answer that, Nii-sama."

* * *

The baby was crying, shrieking her lungs out, really. Kanaye, who had the misfortune of having the room next door to her, buried his head in the coverings, waiting for his mother to come do something with her. Sesali was an inconsolable little brat. Really, she was getting too old for these sorts of tantrums, but she was so overindulged, it was disgusting. 

_Mother has gone with Nii-sama_. That thought occurred to him, and he waited a few more minutes. _Nee-sama … she should be staying with Nee-sama tonight._ Hisae. Iriko. Someone. Dammit.

Bare feet hit the floor and he pulled himself up from his own comfort. It was cold, but he was natured toward it and it did not bother him overly much, and so he ignored the robe that was folded neatly on the side table_. Maybe she's cold. Maybe that's what she's complaining about._

He found the hallway exceptionally absent of activity, especially given the fact that it was filled with shrieking. Bleary-eyed, he took his life in his own hands by shoving open Nee-sama's door without so much as a knock. The room was icy, that much he could tell, and he blinked when he found Sesali kneeling on the sleeping mat, bawling into clenched fists, wails that were broken-hearted and so overly-dramatic, he nearly laughed at her. She was a spoiled, coddled child that screamed for whatever she wanted, and rarely screamed at all, because she was always _given_ whatever she wanted.

"Baka, if you're cold, then don't crawl out from the coverings," Kanaye sighed the reprimand. He moved and seated himself cross-legged and instantly the girl found comfort by clambering across his legs and clinging like a spooked kitten.

"Or if you're crying for Mother, you're out of luck. She's gone south for a few days. Nee-sama's taking care of you. She'll make it fun. She always plans games for you, right?" _And she'll torture me, dammit. Mother, get back here quick …._

"Yaye …"

"You, too, huh?" he grumbled, scowling. He reached out and gently grasped chubby, wet cheeks, allowing himself to do what he had so desperately wanted to do to Kaia. "Kah – nah – yeh," he sounded out the name, forcing her lips to form the syllables until she was giggling hysterically. "Say it right. You think everything is funny, don't you?"

The door was thrown open then and he felt his heart nearly surge from his chest at the unexpected movement. He had not heard anyone coming at all, so intent had he been on Sesali, and when he looked up, he found a white-faced Nee-sama staring down at him with wide golden eyes. Her hands were clenched into fists, and he was certain his life was about to expire then and there, but instead of the verbal thrashing he expected, Nee-sama reached for him. She grasped onto one bare arm and pulled him to his feet, his other hand barely keeping a hold on Sesali. The dread quickly faded to confusion when, instead of the unholy rage he'd expected, he found her wearing an expression he had never seen on her before. Fearful. Afraid. She, of all people, was afraid …

"Nee-sama …" he began seriously, but she interrupted him.

"Kanaye, thank goodness, you will stay with her, won't you?"

"Stay?" He shook his head, not understanding. "What's wrong?"

She struck a light chord of fear in him then, because she graced him with a forced smile and placed an affectionate hand on his head. Not so easy a task anymore since he had sprung up that winter and passed her by. He looked down on her now, and just a year ago it had been the other way around ….

"Eido has passed Hokido," she said quickly, but in a voice that was calm, clear as rain. "The beacons were not lit. We're assembling what we can now, but with Nii-sama gone, I will have to take his place. Sesali is my responsibility while Mother is away, and so I will have to leave her to you now. Do you understand?"

It took a moment for his mind to adjust to what she was saying. He stared mutely, ignoring Sesali, whose fingers were beginning to twine painfully into his loose hair. "We're being attacked?"

"Not yet, but soon. If we had any more time, I would have one of the other girls flee with her and put you to use at the front, but there is too much confusion, and they could be coming from behind us as well for all that I know." She paused then, and her tone became suddenly bitter. "Father placed too much faith in the humans. It was a stupid thing to do, but none of us were fit to argue with him, were we?"

"I'll take Nii-sama's place," Kanaye insisted because, despite Nee-sama's inarguable abilities, the idea of her being the target of a northern blade made him feel decidedly ill.

She shook her head firmly. "You are my baby brother. _I_ take care of _you_, remember? That is how it works. Just like you will take care of Sesali until Nii-sama returns. He should be back by morning. We will last until then, I promise. Until then, watch for her … and please go light the tower. If Nii-sama is headed back this way, he will see it."

He felt some shame then, for all of the training sessions he had skipped or ignored, all of the refused invitations Inutaisho had extended to him. He had not wanted to live in that shadow, but now, quite suddenly, there was no shadow at all. The books and the scrolls and the writings would not deflect a blade. All of the knowledge, all of the learning suddenly seemed meaningless as he stood there.

"I am not so weak that you have to hide me with the baby, Nee-sama," he reminded her truthfully.

She smiled sympathetically, another rarity from her, and he felt an instant sense of foreboding. "If you were weak, Yaye, I would not be entrusting my job to you. I want to know that she is in good hands."

"Nothing will happen to her," he swore.

Nee-sama leaned in to kiss the top of Sesali's bare head, and the child opened her arms as though preferring to switch, but that was not possible. Kanaye readjusted his grip on the squirming girl and watched his sister leave, but something in his heart twisted, turned, and he felt absolutely certain that something in this was going to go terribly awry.

* * *

It went on for hours. He could hear it outside, the roaring boom of explosives and the raucous clang of competing blades. The floors and the walls would rock periodically from the force of one attack or another. There were distant cries of pain and of anguish and of fury. Kanaye had tried watching from the tower, from that damned tower, and he had turned a cold gaze toward Hokido, which glittered with a coppery light far in the distance. Safe, untouched, and their own tower was dark as pitch. He had moved quickly, dousing the massive urns with a fast-burning oil and then set fire to each of them in turn, the heat of the bursting flames scorching at his face. 

It was unbearable. He felt a nearly uncontrollable need to find someone, _anyone_, and push Sesali into their hands so that he could be of more use than as guardian to a squalling brat. He cursed his mother for not taking Sesali with her. He cursed his brother for leaving when he should have been there, in the middle of this, with all of them. He cursed himself most of all for not relentlessly pursuing Inutaisho's skills like a devil out of hell. A searing blast of energy was expelled from the horrific weapon Eido was wielding, neatly cleaving through one of the ornamental dragons on the side of the tower. At that, Kanaye wisely chose to return Sesali to the safety of the fortress's impenetrable walls.

He waited and he waited some more. He waited until his body, tightened painfully with unspent tension, could no longer allow for it. He had sworn to Nee-sama, but this was beyond his abilities. He could not stay quietly tucked into a fortress when the world was being rent around him. They were outnumbered, vastly outnumbered, he had seen that much from his vantage point on the tower, and that was what formed his decision. He knew he would pay for it later. Nee-sama would destroy him for the broken promise, but that was fine. He only wanted to make sure that she would still be able to punish him for his misbehavior in the morning.

He all but invaded the downstairs armory, placing Sesali on her unsteady feet as he quickly shed his outer robe. He stripped down to the simple haori and hakama, something that would allow him to move more freely, and then he bent over the little girl. She was crying once more, wailing from the stress of the night, and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand so that she would listen. Bright eyes widened and honed in on his face as he said quietly, "I am going to leave you in here. I am going to shut the door, and you are not to come out. Do you understand me? Do not come out under any circumstance. I have to go help the others. There's no one else, all right? Nii-sama will be back soon, but until then, I have to help the others. I will return for you."

He quickly folded the robe on the floor for her in the hopes she would take the invitation and sleep her way through the rest of the battle. Stiff, nervous fingers moved rapidly then, shrugging on chest armor, knotting the straps of the shoulder guards, and tying long hair away from his face, out of his way. He did not waste time on much, just enough. He loathed armor; it was bulky, it did not move freely, it hindered his movements, which was a danger in itself, but he knew it was better to have something to guard for his lack of experience. It was his own fault for not being used to it. One hand grabbed for the sword he used most frequently in practice … when he deigned to show up, of course, and then he was flinging himself back up the steps, ears closed to Sesali's wails.

He was near the top when he collided with a warm body. He reached out a steadying hand to keep it from pitching backward, feeling an immense sense of relief when Kaia's over-large eyes found him in the dim light.

"Kaia," he began, but she looked away from him, back toward the top of the stairs, and he impatiently grasped her chin, forcing her sight back on him. She looked confused, out-of-sorts, and he felt suddenly sorry for her, as well as oddly jealous of her inability to hear the horrific cacophony that was pounding down around them. He spoke quickly, enunciating carefully.

"Stay with Sesali. Do not go outside. I will come for you later. There is a battle. Understand?"

She grasped his face in return, and he wondered for a moment if she had not understood, if he needed to repeat himself, but she finally nodded, appearing stricken by sudden fear.

"Stay," he reiterated. "Bar the door behind me."

He did not wait for her agreement. He stormed up the stairs, shutting each successive door and latching them behind him … for all the good it would do. His hand fell to the hilt of the sword, fingers wrapped around the heavy coldness of it as he pulled it free from the sheath. His grip felt awkward no matter how he arranged his fingers and that, again, was his own fault. He had not lifted a blade since the fall, and he was about to pay for it, he was certain.

Searing cold slapped against his skin as he sprinted outside, feet kicking up a spray of white powder. He was grateful to see that the gates were still closed, though they looked terribly abused. There was a ghastly reek of blood and smoke, and the noise was far worse. It sounded like hell was loosing some unearthly war cry, rumbling upward from beneath the earth in a rage. It chilled his blood and he felt the first, faint stirrings of real fear. _Nii-sama … you don't even know what that is, do you? To run into something like this and to be afraid of it._ That thought circled his mind as he launched himself up and over the gate, dropping into a cat-like crouch on the other side.

He felt his heart halt in midbeat. Everything seized and stopped. The outer guard buildings had been set aflame, certainly by his own people, as it forced the fight downwind and away from the fortress. Temporarily, at least. The plain was no longer covered in that peaceful, solitary blanket of white … it was gutted, wrecked, gouged. There was no longer even soil, just rock that was smeared slick with the blood and insides of the people that lay sprawled like some fleshy carpet. He recognized them, too many of them, but some were no longer recognizable at all. His heart lurched back into unwilling motion.

_Nii-sama …_

He ran then, pulled forward, away from that eye-scarring sight and toward the battle itself. He saw a few of his father's people still scattered and fighting, easily recognizable by the characteristic silvery hair, but most of them were being overpowered, overwhelmed. Three against one. Four against one. And the end to those skirmishes was almost inevitable. He joined where he could, and his earliest training was dishearteningly slow to return, but it _did_ and he felt his body gradually fall into the movements, like muscles stretched after a long night's sleep. But there was still a glaring difference, and he recalled his brother's earlier warning about the lack of experience. It was true, so true, and he was certain he was displaying himself as some incompetent half-wit, an easy mark for a northern blade. He fell for the feint that would have removed his head if it had not been for Hisae's watchful eye. He was slower, prone more to thinking than reacting, and that was so fatal in a situation such as this. He moved from invader to invader, slicing, gutting, trying to recall all of those sessions when he had so lazily watched his brother, not terribly motivated to participate because he had _known_ it would only end with unintended humiliation at the hands of Inutaisho.

The smell was gut-wrenching. Death, death, death. And there was something in the air, a heavy current that felt positively poisonous. He looked toward the main part of the fray and found Eido's unmistakable location due to the blinding explosions that were being expelled from that sword. He must have been giving them plenty of trouble, because so many were wearing their true forms, dozens of massive, white canines that were biting and snapping and still being brought down in alarming numbers. He was surprised, because one thing he _did_ remember was the admonition by his brother to never take care of something in true form that could be handled in the more easily-managed bipedal body. Fighting on two feet allowed for easier maneuvering and it consumed much smaller quantities of energy, and so he was unhappy to find so many already giving in to their transformations. That form allowed one to absorb a much harsher blow and to retaliate with increased strength, but to Kanaye, it signaled an army in trouble.

He barely got past another, his heavy swing just managing to connect before that of his opponent. He felt himself flinch as the blade cut a hot streak across one cheek, only just missing the eye. Face burning with humiliation, he relied on his anger to cut down two more before a third came up behind him, surprising him, and this time Hisae was not at his back. His eyes widened at the foreign feel of something cold thrusting raggedly through skin, from back to belly. A primitive, agonizing burn erupted and he instinctually lurched forward, pulling himself free from the blade before its wielder could slice across and separate him into equal halves. He stumbled and turned, slashing an upward arc that caught enough of the northerner's throat to bring him down, choking him on his own fluids.

Kanaye's head began to pound and the omnipresent reek of death was replaced with the more immediate smell of his own heated blood, like iron smelting in a forge. He reoriented himself, the frost-ridden wind smacking him in the face, and that annoying tingling feeling of blood oozing over skin began to fade as the elements worked to freeze it in mid-stream. He continued on, still aiming for that sword that fairly glowed with evil intent, and he was dismayed to see that only two western dogs remained in their canine forms, and both were his own sisters. Hisae. Nee-sama. There was no sign of Father at all, and that filled him with a sense of foreboding that urged his legs into a sprint, heedless of what came at him from the sides or from behind.

Another of those cursed currents of energy fanned outward for a moment in a breath-taking splash that idly reminded him of spring sakura. It was not nearly so delicate as those blossoms, however; it connected with the already ruined ground and blasted another crater, forcing the two dogs into separate directions.

_That sword … someone has to get that sword away from him._ No sooner had the thought left his mind when it struck once more, and this time Hisae was gone, cleaved neatly through the middle by a careless swing. A chilled sweat beaded itself across his skin as he tore toward that one remaining canine, hands white-knuckled as he clutched at his dripping sword. He felt it so strongly, that aura … dangerous, threatening, a black, evil jyaki. Nee-sama came out of her form quite suddenly and because he attributed that to her exhaustion, he quickly sheathed his blade and threw himself into his own transformation.

Limbs lengthened, trunk-sized claws extended, and suddenly the cold was a non-factor as he grew to a height that allowed him to see a wider expanse of the ruined battlefield and the death that clung to it like some ugly moss. Nee-sama turned at the sudden surge of youki and he heard her call something, a voice that was ragged and desperate, but he could not differentiate the words. His mind was too full of darkness, it felt like a toxin, as though he was wading through a breath-choking miasma. Keen sight honed in on Eido and he hurtled toward the man, who was commanding the field like some dark, self-proclaimed god, but he was met by Eizan, also in canine form, and a pair of snapping jaws suddenly sliced through fur and flesh.

Kanaye allowed the assault, the bones in his neck protesting under the stress; his peripheral sight was locked on Nee-sama, who was bent, spent muscles shaking, and when she lifted her head to watch him, he saw the mournful defeat. To her, it was already over, and he wanted more than anything to change her mind. He angled his massive body, planting pawed feet, stubbornly blocking Eido's line of sight in an effort to buy her a few moments of rest. And then, beyond her, he saw the reason for her hopelessness and cruel reality latched onto him just as Eizan's jaws gave way.

His father was one of those littering the field like refuse, spent and finished, unmoving, and it was such an incongruous sight, so impossible, that Kanaye's mind left the battle entirely for a moment. Never. Never in his life had he seen his father on his back.

_Nii-sama … please …._

He was out of his element. Any thought of saving these people was ridiculous, a pathetic daydream from the mind of a useless, over-indulged boy. He had never seen anything like this in his life. He had only read it … he only read about bloody, realm-conquering battles where unflinching warriors stepped out to greet their opponent with confidence that came from the easy stroke of characters down a page. Words created their fate, not reality, and words would not help him forge the resolution he wanted.

He felt clunky and useless. He never, ever fought in dog form. It was too energy-consuming. And why would he ever have bothered training such a skill? After all, there would always be Father and if not Father there would always be Nii-sama. Nii-sama would have a fight finished before Kanaye could even complete such a transformation, so why bother? But, oh, now how he wished he had bothered. He wished so much that he had listened more and absorbed it all, he wished he had participated and spent those long morning hours alongside Nii-sama in his careful, methodical training instead of sleeping late and rolling out of bed to work on translating some bit of pointless, foreign writing. He felt like he owed an apology … to someone, anyone … his insides were bursting with it, but he was unsure exactly to whom it belonged. Some of them were gone. _Hisae. Father. Iriko, where are you?_ And he was entirely certain he was not going to see the others again, one way or another.

He would not draw back. Nee-sama was behind him and she would see nothing but his back until this was over. He promised himself that he could do at least that much.

It ended quickly. Eizan pulled back so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that Kanaye hesitated for a moment in his confusion and that inattention allowed Eido a clear shot. A blistering-hot streak shot outward from that horrific weapon, spearing him through the chest with excruciating precision. Everything seemed to burn away, what was inside and what was outside, and he felt himself shrinking, wrenched out of his dog form. His back struck the unforgiving earth and he knew for a certainty that he had just died, because nothing worked except his eyes. He waited for vision to fade, for everything to fade. And everything _did_ fade, but mostly because the battle was over. The corners of his eyes were filled with the roaring orange glow of consuming flame and he was drowning in the sickening smell of blood, his own and that of countless others. The silence was coming, complete and terrible, not from victory but from defeat, and that was because the northerners had run out of people to fight.

His body decided that it was not finished after all, that it was still among the living, because it began forcing itself to see to its own work once more. Lungs suddenly inhaled a startling, agonizing breath and he swallowed a mouthful of his own blood, ears ringing to the point of deafness. His head was slowly filling with a dull roar, a white noise that was forging a rapid crescendo, pounding inside his brain like some rabid beast trying to claw its way out of a trap.

_Nii-sama …_

His limbs acquired the ability to move once more and he rolled onto his belly, preparing to push himself back up. Everything burned so badly, it was difficult to force his muscles to heed his commands. The clanging clash of two swords echoed from behind him, right behind him, nearly on top of him, and he knew it was Nee-sama and that she was overmatched. They all were. They had all been overmatched. _Hokido, damn you … I'll kill you all, I swear … I swear …_

His hands were wrist-deep in a sticky muck of mud and melted snow and blood. He shoved himself back to his knees, and then to his feet, idly surprised that his body did not simply snap in half from the effort. He did not dare look at the wound; he was certain it would be very discouraging, and that was most certainly the last thing he needed. Instead, he turned in time to watch as Eido disarmed Nee-sama and grabbed a hold of her long, loose hair. He forced her to her knees, and Kanaye's mind was suddenly full of Eizan's threatening words to Inutaisho just days earlier. He could not stand the sight.

Weary legs summoned energy from somewhere and he was only absently aware of the fact that he had lost track of his sword. _You son of a bitch, she'll kill you for that … I'll kill you …_

Bur she did not. She was shaking with exhaustion, and Eido finished her off like any other, slicing easily through the slender neck. Feet slowed, stumbled, and Kanaye stared mutely as the man released Nee-sama's body and dismissed her immediately, redirecting his attention to Kanaye.

Kanaye's brain was muddled, confused, there was a thick layer of fog coating each and every thought. He was somehow surrounded by his family, but only pieces and parts of them. Scattered, shattered, unmoving. The sound of competing blades was gone, there was nothing at all save for a soft flurry of flakes from a black, wintry sky. It was all so unreal. He had spent the morning worried over a mocking mispronunciation of his name, and now, in the darkest hours of the night, he was standing in the middle of an ended battle, a field utterly ravaged by the fierceness of youkai pride and temper. He was wallowing in sodden, blood-soaked clothing and armor that was heavy, weighing him down, and he was hurting like he never had in his life. Illness made his stomach clench and his ears were bursting with that all-consuming roar. He would not survive this, he was not made to survive something like this, but, really, that hardly mattered at all.

He was utterly alone. He came to realize this slowly when he turned and looked about him, searching for some sign of life that was not dark-haired and violet-eyed and gloating with victory. It was only a sea of bodies. The few that remained upright were wearing a uniform that did not belong to the west and they were making their way back to their leader's side with slow, satisfied steps, eyeing him like a meal that has just been delivered to a den of ravenous hyenas. Eido called something in a voice that was slick with mockery, but he did not understand the words. The avalanche inside his own head was far too loud to understand the words of another. He mutely eyed the northern lord, then looked past him to the sprawling wave of whole, healthy, katana-wielding bodies behind him.

_Nii-sama, you said I need experience. This surely must count for something._

And it was laughable, it was so utterly ridiculous that he, of all of them, was the one that remained. The one that never bothered. The one that put out the least amount of effort. The one who never offered anything more than silence or a smart-ass comment. He gave in to the moment and laughed, a choking, tortured sound that hurt so badly his eyes watered. Once the moment of insane humor passed, his mind flickered back to the two girls that remained in that husk of a fortress, waiting on him, waiting for him to return. He most certainly would not, but he'd be damned if he didn't try.

He inhaled a deep breath. He straightened. Then, swaying oddly … because, really, there was something very wrong with him; his body simply would not obey properly … he located his sword, and bent to retrieve it. When he lifted his eyes, he saw that Eido was lurking nearby, mouth turned upward into a satisfied smirk. Kanaye remained still, watching, trying to regain some energy, but then Eizan began striding confidently toward Father, as though he had some right to be anywhere near the man.

Something emerged then, something white-hot and adamant, and he was suddenly hauling across the field, eyes trained on Eizan, who did not expect it and so glanced up with obvious surprise as a hurtling body met his with bone-crunching force. The death Kanaye had intended to deliver was never allowed, however. His senses ordered him to move and he heeded them, leaping out of the way of another fiery attack that sliced a burning crease across one arm. Even that glancing blow carried enough force to knock him flat on his back yet again. Without thought or feeling, for he felt he was well beyond much of either, Kanaye shoved himself to his knees, and then back to his feet once more.

His eyes burned, not with grief but with fury. Something had broken open, something was escaping, and his ears were full of little else other than Eido's mocking voice and that great, white roar. Everything else disappeared; he felt a complete absence of life, as though every speck of feeling had been sucked away. There was no failure and there was no anguish. There was nothing save for the growing surge of blood thrusting itself through veins, throughout a body that was more inclined to shut down than to keep fighting. He felt split, separated. It was as though the exhausted, hurting, useless scholar was giving in, waving another part of him to the forefront; he was retiring and giving way to something more capable of survival.

He suddenly felt oddly at peace; the absence of everything was comforting and a humorless, vacant smile crossed his lips as he lifted his eyes, watching his opponents through vision that was crimson-tinged, through blood or that motivating fury he did not know and he did not care. He lifted his sword in a hand that no longer shook with exhaustion.

Eido stood like a great, invading emperor, surrounded by a whipping frenzy of black, silky hair, and, apparently, the blessing of Fate herself. He brought that wicked sword back up, and Kanaye watched as it continued to spew that poisonous aura. Even now, especially now, it made him crave the transformation into his more primitive form.

"I want your brother," Eido demanded.

"Heh. So do I. We'll both have to make do, won't we?" The voice was different. Empty. Unwavering. The well had run dry, save for the supply of sarcasm … and loathing for these people and for himself and for his father's utter stupidity. He felt sick with it, weighted with it. It was working so hard to crush him, but he steadfastly ignored it.

"Where is he?"

"You should be worried about me right now."

"Why?" Eido questioned contemptuously, lips turning upward as though with the intent to laugh. "You're nearly done. The only use I have for you is the location of your brother and of the other missing girl. Kazuya had four daughters. I've killed three, and I don't like to leave anything incomplete."

Kanaye heard himself laugh again; it was unintentional, it escaped his throat, raw and barely sane to his own ears. "The fourth will stay beyond your reach, I can promise you that much. And I will also tell you that my goal in this is not to survive."

"Ohhh? Then what is it?" Eido asked with an indulgent smile.

"When my brother returns, and believe me he will, I will still be standing," Kanaye replied, unblinking. "That is my only goal. Anything beyond that is meaningless. I am useless for anything else."

"I see. It's a rivalry, is it?" Eido questioned, casting a knowing glance at Eizan, who appeared nearly bored with the exchange. "Eizan … I will allow you to make yourself useful."

Eizan glanced quickly at his brother and then passed an unimpressed inspection over Kanaye, looking as miffed as though he had just been offered the servants' leftovers. "He's half dead. It's hardly a challenge."

"No challenge at all," Kanaye confirmed in a breathy whisper, adjusting his hold on the sword. Bruised fingers folded in a death grip around the hilt and he fixed humorless eyes on his opponent.

Supremely put upon, Eizan drew his own weapon once more, a spoiled prince being forced to see to a mere formality … and so Kanaye allowed himself a moment of hot satisfaction at the expression on Eizan's face when the man realized he had been set upon by nothing less than a rabid animal.

Kanaye did not bother with defending overly much; there was no intent to survive past the moment his brother stepped foot on that battlefield and every intent on obliterating his opponent. He could tell that Eizan was unaccustomed to fighting someone who made no effort whatsoever to shield himself, and the man was consistently put off-balance, driven backward even as his own blows connected with a body that stubbornly refused to go down. Kanaye felt none of it, his wild swings connected against armor, slit skin, hacked off a sizable hunk of dark hair, and then, finally, he succeeded in getting close enough to trip Eizan's feet out from under him. In an instant, Kanaye was on top of him, tearing for the throat, wanting nothing more than to watch the man's life bleed out in front of his eyes. It was a black, consuming fury … he could see nothing else but that thumping pulse of blood against skin, mocking him in a field that was nothing more than a grave for the west.

Appearing desperate as he worked to keep razor-sharp claws away from his throat, Eizan unsheathed a dagger from somewhere and drove it through Kanaye's thigh in an attempt to get some of the weight off of him. It worked, because the leg suddenly failed and Eizan shoved Kanaye away, scrambling backward as though certain the beast would lunge for him again.

Eido intervened, and before Kanaye could right himself, a heavy boot settled over one knee and stomped. There was a sickening crack that sent agonized light shooting to the backs of his eyes, and then to his fingers, and to his toes. Kanaye dropped his sword and pulled the dagger from his thigh, retaliating by shoving it through Eido's calf. The lord cursed and drew back, giving Kanaye enough room to stumble gracelessly to his feet. The leg would no longer bear weight properly; it was some useless hunk of flesh that hung off of him, slowing him, hindering him. Eizan prowled closer to resume the fight, and Kanaye did not wait for the attack, instead choosing to lunge for a second attempt at a kill.

And it was then that he smelled it, that unmistakable scent that superceded the choking layer of smoke and death. It was drawing closer at an unimaginable speed, a speed that had always surpassed his own. He could not get a strong enough grip on Eizan's neck, not enough to break it solidly, and so he settled instead for punching two fingers through the back, inciting an agonized howl. He shoved the body away from him, listened as his name was called by a voice that was so gratifyingly familiar. That distant part of him, the one that was drifting backward and out of reach, succumbed to an indescribable relief.

He was consumed by the intense satisfaction that came with having lasted. His brother was here, and he was still standing. The vengeful, hungry din in his head overwhelmed him once more and his vision filled with a startling, blinding white. He was exhausted; that absence of feeling became a numbing weariness and the effort to cling to his body was drawing energy from someplace beyond him. _They are finished, and I am done as well. Spare. Useless._ But something in him refused to shut down, something he did not recognize. It would not let him rest. It was that source of blankness; it promised to keep going, whatever he decided, and so Kanaye gave in to that white void, willing it to fight for him, to have its own way.

* * *

The smell of destruction was unmistakable. It was unlike anything else, and to the sane man, such a concept should not have a 'scent', exactly, but it _did_. Inutaisho recognized it and it made his stomach coil into a knot of dread. He was too late, he had only now found out and he was already too late. The frost-covered trees shook as he brushed past them, unloading their frigid burdens on his hair and his shoulders. He blinked snowflakes from his eyelashes and ran on, peripheral vision a blur, sight locked squarely ahead of him. 

The first thing he noticed was the land. Ayakami unfolded before him in a wave of annihilation. It was as though a giant, clawed hand had dropped from the heavens and scooped up a jagged handful of earth. Everything was blackened and ravaged and broken. The fortress's defensive outer walls no longer stood; they were only crumbled remnants of something that had once been a source of intimidation. The landscape was littered with bodies and western blood soaked through the scant, ruined soil, making footing uneasy. He could hear it, though, the distant collision of sword against sword. It was as familiar to him as his own heartbeat and he shot toward it.

The first one he found was Iriko. She was prone on the ground, neck bent unnaturally, face shielded by a curtain of silvery hair. That tight feeling in his gut worsened, pained him, most especially because he could not allow himself to stop. He blocked the image of her from his mind and skirted around the eastern face of the fortress, bent on joining in, to do what he could, but, really, it was already over.

When he reached the west field, the source of that desperate clanging, he was met by a sight that stopped his heart. It was only Kanaye. Of everyone, only that ill-prepared boy still remained, and the northern army spilled outward, an endless sea of scavengers, vultures bent to pick the flesh from the dead. He headed toward Kanaye, who was moving oddly, in a way that Inutaisho had never seen, like a stranger in the body of his brother. Heads were being snapped from necks, torsos slit to spill insides, and he was absorbing everything they threw at him, like some impenetrable wall. It was unnatural, it was unbelievable.

As he approached, Inutaisho became less certain that it _was_ Kanaye. It smelled like him, it smelled like his brother, but this was not the grudgingly good-hearted little brat, it was something else … a creature let loose, some beast that was set on taking an entire army down with him. One knee was bent awkwardly, snapped cleanly, and he remained on it anyway, moving a body that was all but destroyed. The eyes were tinged a bloody red and the face was feral, caught in a rage. To Inutaisho, he looked more like a corpse summoned back to life than a boy bent on survival.

A mix of training and instinct took over, and Inutaisho descended upon the front line of soldiers, scattering them into varying states of dismemberment with very little effort. His sudden arrival halted the next line, allowing him to briefly take the measure of the field. He found Eido and Eizan lurking to one side as their army did the work, both eyeing him with identical expressions of lazy amusement. He carefully studied the army's arrangement, identified the separate contingents in an attempt to discern where the next assault was likely to come from.

Unfortunately, it came from the last place he expected. A bloody hand wrapped around his throat from behind, murderous in its intent, and he grasped onto it before it could crush the bones. Eyes widening in surprise, Inutaisho rounded on Kanaye, who was heaving like a half-drowned beast.

"Kanaye …"

The fingers tightened and Inutaisho murmured a quiet apology as he snapped the bones and pulled himself free, keeping a firm hold on the arm. Something faded from those wild eyes and his brother swayed on unsteady feet. Inutaisho looked past the boy, to the fallen form behind him. Their father was still and silent, a dull thump emanating from a wrecked body, and he could see now why Kanaye had had to make a stand in such an open place.

He grasped Kanaye's face and looked him squarely in the eye, a dull pang reminding him of how often he'd seen the boy do the same for Kaia whenever he tried to make her understand something.

"Hey, you're done. Leave it to me now."

There was no more resistance in Kanaye, truly, there was nothing at all, and then the legs melted out from under him and the body became dead weight. Inutaisho settled the boy just behind him and then straightened once more, angling his head toward Eido and the wide-bladed halberd that rested on one shoulder. "You have a new toy. This should be interesting."

Eido smiled humorlessly. "It was made specifically for the purpose of exterminating youkai. You should feel honored. I had it made entirely with you and your father in mind. Everyone else was just a test subject. I call it Ryuujin. Rather pretty, isn't it?" A broad hand stroked down the length of the weapon, like a caress from a lover. "It destroys so effectively and with so little effort. Your family fell rather easily to it. Stand still for me, will you? You really do move around a lot in situations like these and it's rather troublesome."

Inutaisho ignored that. "I will not leave this place until I have extracted two lives for every life you have taken here."

"You've already lost," Eido reminded him.

"Yes, we have," Inutaisho agreed, and he was certain those were the hardest words he'd ever had to say. "But I will not put in less effort than the boy behind me. I will leave with him and I will leave with my father, but I will not leave your army intact."

Eido laughed loudly at that. "Army? Hardly. That is what is on its way. This is merely the force that served its intended purpose … to clear this land of the western mutts and make room for their betters."

"A monkey can perch on a nest, but that doesn't make it a bird, Eido. Stand there until you rot, but you will never do much more than scratch for fleas." Inutaisho loosed a hand from around the hilt of his weapon, gesturing impatiently. "Now come and let me show you how to properly wield your new sword."

* * *

**So, yeah, another 31 pages here … lol. I can't even imagine how long the next one is going to be if I'm going to squeeze everything else I intend to into the second half of the flashback. This is soooooo long, but it had to be. I didn't want this to read as some quick fight. It was supposed to be a long, bloody, horrific battle, which is the reason for the length. The next chapter will be more from Inutaisho's point of view, and Sess-mama will be in it a good bit more, which makes me happy, because I have been gleefully playing with her dialogue. And Inutaisho comes off as a bit girl-obsessed in this, but I figure that, hey, he's all but worshipped, he's beautiful, he's talented, everyone adores him … he's going to have a bit of an ego problem. He needed a flaw, and this one amused me. Plus, I've kind of hinted in my previous stories that he has a weakness for women, so it felt like it fit. He's about to change a bit, though … especially now that he's found a woman who will be able to keep his attention for more than a second. ;)**

**And to help any confusion about the characters in this chapter, I mentioned at the end of WS that Kanaye was the second youngest of six, so we have in birth order:**

**Inutaisho**

**Nee-sama (Shinya)**

**Hisae**

**Iriko**

**Kanaye**

**Sesali**

**As for ages, I'd say Inutaisho is probably about the age Sesshoumaru is in the anime and Kanaye would be about 14 or 15 in terms of human-aging in this chapter.**

**And if you read the other stories, you'll recognize Eido and Eizan, most likely, as well as Ryuujin. Ryuujin was the weapon Kawahira used in WS. Eido is Eizan's older brother … and unlike Eizan, he's actually mostly competent. **

**Asira-sama is Furu's mother. She'll play a small part in the next chapter as well. **

**Some vocabulary notes: Nii-sama is a respectful form of 'older brother' and Nee-sama is a respectful form of 'older sister'. It's not exactly proper for Inutaisho to be calling Nee-sama by that title, but it's more out of jest, really, since she so completely bosses everyone around.**

**To the Reviewers:**

**New Fan:** Oh, I don't think Kanaye's prepared to just up and kill Inuyasha for the heck of it. He'd need some sort of reason, even under normal circumstances, but he's a bit out of it right now. As for whether he can return to being the man he was … I don't know. I wrote young Kanaye as not being completely different from adult Kanaye. There's still bits of his younger self in him, so I guess we'll see what happens with that. I also don't know if Shinya will return. The end of this has several possibilities. It's all staying pretty flexible, so that I can go with what feels right. Nope, no wedding … that's far from everyone's minds now. Lol … not really. Lien isn't really Inuyasha's "oba-san" … she was just sort of laying down the law for him … lol. And I definitely can't answer about how Sesshoumaru will fix his problems, because then there'd be no point in writing the rest. xD

**Teela:** Sorry, sorry! xD Here's the rest. I wanted to break it up because it just seemed more natural to do it that way. I like to keep my chapters fairly even as far as size. Yeah, Rin is really having a tough time with her conscience right now. Poor thing. Ohhh! How very neat. I can't wait to see it. Like I said, it's so going on my desktop as wallpaper … lol. If that's okay, of course. And I'm sure it's gorgeous. You really do have a talent for art. I wish I could say the same. I am the world's worst at drawing and things like that. And don't worry … I see him in my own head, but it'll be fun to see how someone else sees him.

**Ghost140:** lol … thanks, even though, like I said, I felt that chapter was very boring, but sometimes you have to do a little exposition. Okay … let's see … the inspiration for Sesshoumaru's mother definitely comes out of my own head. I've dropped little things about her personality throughout my other stories and so I can't really change her now to fit the manga. She appeared in the manga so recently, that I'd only have been able to change her for this story. But to answer your question, no, my version of her is not much at all like the manga version. In fact, I can't even really describe the manga version of her accurately … lol. And Inu-papa hasn't been in the manga at all, unfortunately. All they've ever hinted about his personality was that he was a good youkai. That's all I have to go on. Well, that and the third movie, but that wasn't exactly canon, since it wasn't from the manga, so … yeah, the Inutaisho in these stories comes directly from my own mind as well.


	9. The Sleeping Monster

**9 - The Sleeping Monster**

_He had kept his promise._

The snowfall thickened, billowing and prismatic as it fell from a black sky, coating Asira-sama's compound like it had layered over the western dead, a white, wintry shroud. Inutaisho listened to that terrible silence, the one that had followed his return with the survivors. He felt certain that this was what it would be like to be the last living thing on earth; isolated, heart-weary, and wrenched by survivor's guilt. Only steps away within the walls of Asira's home, his mother was silently grieving with a dignity that made him appreciate what it was to be the mate of a taiyoukai.

He had sworn to extract two lives for every one the west had lost, and he had managed to do that and more before Eido and Eizan had wisely chosen to flee to the main body of the northern army, an invading force still in transit. He supposed, in some strange way, the survivors had likely saved_ his _life, because if he had been the last, he would have pursued Eido straight into the heart of that army, straight into hell, if need be. He hadn't been allowed that comfort, however. There had been his responsibility to Father and Kanaye, and the soul-clenching relief that came with seeing Kaia emerge unexpectedly from the wreckage of the fortress with a pale, silent Sesali gripped in her arms.

He had needed to move them quickly. He knew Eido would not rest until his victory was complete, and so Inutaisho had returned them to his mother. He'd had to tell her that three of her daughters were dead, that her mate and youngest son were likely to join them soon, that her eldest had not arrived in time to make a difference and had not even had the time to bury the lost with the reverence they deserved. He'd had to offer Sesali as her only consolation and she had taken the quiet, doll-like child and clung to her in a way that made his defeat feel so all-encompassing, so complete on every level, he couldn't stand being in the same room with her.

Aching hands clenched the railing that separated him from the snowy courtyard until he heard the sound of stressed, cracking wood. A silent surge of rage set his heart into a furious thump that filled his ears and it was then that he realized he could still smell Ayakami on himself, his clothes, his hair, and with those scents came flashes of faces, beloved, dismembered, lifeless. The west had bled out; it was a cold corpse collapsed over his back, a crushing weight that sent him over the railing before he realized what he was doing. He wrenched the sword from his side and threw it angrily, the sounds of his own heavy breathing loud and uneven as he stalked to the wide frozen pond and broke his way through, ice cracking as he sunk under.

The shock of the cold was both agonizing and inviting, starkly pinpointing every bruised muscle he had earned in that terrible, lonely battle. He went lower, toward the dark, murky bottom, pale hair floating freely like ghostly seaweed. He remained there for a long time, reveling in his growing discomfort until a lightheaded feeling began its unwelcome intrusion. He closed his eyes, focusing until he could see Shinya in all her fiery grace, willowy Hisae, and reckless Iriko.

He would lose his father and Kanaye as well. He could feel it.

Inutaisho snapped back to himself then, lungs seizing in complaint. He rose to the surface, inhaling a choked breath as one hand clutched the snowy bank. He blinked the shadows from his vision and pulled himself out, breathing raggedly while the knife-like winter wind began to freeze his hair and clothes. _At least now I smell nothing of them or that place._ He stared blankly into the water, which reflected the black horror he felt every time he allowed himself to consider their current predicament. He was the great strategist, the feared warrior, the trusted protector ... and now he was frozen on his knees, unable to adjust to this dizzying change in reality.

_"I think you are blinded by your own arrogance and self-importance and questionable talent. They lavish you with wild acclaim as though you were some great, infallible god. I am utterly sick of you. Whatever my brother may have in mind for the west, my only goal is to one day force you to your knees."_

His throat clenched as Eizan's words of only a few weeks earlier reverberated inside his skull. Instantly, he shoved himself back to his feet and turned toward the house. He had never lost before. He'd never lost anything. The tension in his body was unbearable, but he forced himself to gather his sword and compose himself. He couldn't afford to wallow in this, whatever it was. He had to save what was left.

* * *

When Inutaisho slid open the screened door, there was a measure of gratitude when he found Furu sitting cross-legged next to Kanaye's prone body. The stocky boy glanced up at him, brown eyes nearly covered by a shock of chestnut-colored hair. One eyebrow instantly quirked at his dripping guest. Smokey waves of frost billowed like cloud cover from Inutaisho's body as it made contact with the much warmer room.

"I thought dogs liked water, but you look a little cranky."

Inutaisho stopped short at that, forcing something resembling a weak smile for his hostess' young son. "'Cranky' does not begin to describe it, my little friend." He knelt across the pallet from the boy and immediately felt the heat coming from the body between them. Kanaye was barely recognizable; he was struggling, body lingering in a dismaying condition that had been difficult for their mother to bear, and so Inutaisho had taken over the boy's care. Despite the fact that they had been within Asira's home for a day and a half, Kanaye had shown no signs of healing and, if anything, had worsened with the onset of that undercurrent of heat. Their father was in a similar state; it was as though the two were caught in some sort of stasis due to the strange wounds inflicted by Ryuujin. Something was keeping their swift, inherent healing abilities from kicking in and saving their lives, and so now it was down to willpower.

"He worked really hard, didn't he?" Furu said quietly, inclining his head toward Kanaye.

"Yes, he did."

"If I train as hard as him, maybe I'll be able to fight a whole army soon."

Inutaisho mentally acknowledged the irony of that and felt gratitude toward his companion as the mood lightened. "He was able to do it because he has a strong heart. He's the bravest man I know."

Furu snorted at that. "He's not all that much older than me. He's not really grown up yet."

"A child could not do what he did. What I said was accurate." Inutaisho thought back to what he had found upon his return to Ayakami and wondered at the primal survival instinct he had seen in Kanaye that night. His brother had pushed too far, been pushed too far, and there had been something chilling in what Inutaisho had found when he'd arrived. Something feral and stoked by the most basics instincts: kill, survive, protect.

His own instincts alerted him then to something else, some other presence drawing near. There was a subtle surge in youki and he glanced quickly at Kanaye before propelling himself to his feet and out the door, not even thinking to close it in his haste to meet whatever was coming at them. His mind was filled with Eido and Eizan and the lives that lay behind the walls of the compound as he unsheathed his sword and raced to the front, passing half-asleep sentries who looked up in surprise when the white dog youkai flashed past them like pale flame. Without hesitation, he flung himself over the outer gate and directly into the path of ...

_Seiya_.

He stopped short and pulled himself to his full height, cooling the adrenaline in his veins. She halted as well, gesturing at the small entourage at her back, and complete silence descended for several moments as they regarded each other. She was clothed in something dark and form-fitting with a heavy cloak draped around her shoulders, a pale, icy princess who looked very much at home in the thick whirl of sleet and snow. He realized he was still brandishing his sword ... and that he could not risk putting it away. The human betrayal was still fresh in his mind, as was the fact that he had first met her within Eido's home. She was as heart-achingly beautiful as he remembered ... and thoroughly suspect. He could not guess her loyalties and could not risk the lives of others with his trust.

She radiated cool calm against his pained suspicion, but he had to quell his instinct to act when she began to move toward him, one purposeful foot placing itself ahead of another until she was less than an arm's length away. He could see the gleam of the delicate gold chains that encircled her wrists, the long hair hanging free, silvery-gold even in the blackness of night and that stare, so direct and unapologetic, as though she could read his darkest thoughts. And, truly, his thoughts were uncharacteristically dark these days. He remained on guard and tense, and even more so when her hand moved to her own twin weapons, thin katanas that rested against one hip.

"Don't," he warned and it felt almost like a plea, but she seemed to understand and merely nodded slightly as she placed the sheathed blades at his feet. Instantly, her guard of twelve disarmed themselves.

"I can send them away if you like," she offered.

"Please."

Starlit hair fluttered lightly in the wind as she turned to speak to her own people, ordering them to move back and wait for her. She then eyed him once more, hands outstretched. "Forgive me, " she spoke quietly. "I should have thought to disarm them earlier. These are strange times."

"How did you know?" he asked, his unease abating enough to allow him to resheath his sword with a resounding click.

"I remained in Japan after the gathering, so I was already nearby," she explained, then her head shook slowly in wonder. "The west is reeling from what has happened. They do not understand how the western inuyoukai have fallen."

"The western inuyoukai are still reeling themselves," he replied grimly.

"I got to Ayakami ahead of the main army," she explained. "I could not bury everyone in time, but I moved three women. They stood out. They smelled like you and your brother."

"Three women," he repeated, swallowing oddly.

"I am confident that one was Kanaye's Nee-sama."

Inutaisho's face tightened as something sharp twisted in his gut. "How could you know that?" he demanded roughly. "You didn't know her. You don't even know me." He stopped, then added in a voice that was laced with warning. "If you have been sent by Eido to mock me, I swear-"

That honest stare persisted, expression unaffected by his unspoken threat. "I knew because I found her at the front of your people," came the certain reply. "She died at the front, Inutaisho, not the back. Do you not realize that that speaks volumes? I don't need to know anything else about her to understand that Kanaye's respect for her was true and earned."

The sudden wave of anger dissipated as quickly as it had erupted and he nodded, feeling worn and weighted.

"What was her name?"

"Shinya."

Seiya nodded and took a step closer, looking up into his face as she said quietly, "He will not find Shinya or the other two. Some day, when you are ready, I will show you where they are. Until then, know that they will rest well."

He frowned in confusion even as he felt unabashed relief that someone had seen to his sisters. "Are you not Eido's ally?"

"I am no one's ally," she replied honestly, "but this is an injustice I cannot ignore. Eido's victory was ill-gotten." Pale eyes flickered thoughtfully toward the compound. "Lady Asira rules the south well, but you will not find rest here for long."

"She is a loyal friend."

"She will be targeted next as long as she shelters you."

She had put into words what he had already known to be true. They would have to move on soon, to where he did not know, but he could not travel with Father and Kanaye in their current conditions. It would most certainly hasten their deaths. He needed to buy them time, either to heal or to die with dignity, and he was certain Eido would not allow for either option.

"How many retreated with you?" she questioned. "You can regroup. I can call on my own people in China and you still have allies in Japan. We can -" She stopped, looking faintly taken aback when he laughed lowly at her suggestion, a bitter sound that echoed in the night.

"I retreated with my father and brother, both of whom are nearly dead. I also have a deaf hanyou, a grieving mother who has never seen a battle, and a three-year-old sister. _That_ is what I am capable of regrouping."

"That is all? Truly?"

"Truly."

She regarded him silently once more, before asking almost cautiously, "Will you allow me to enter?"

Inutaisho's first instinct was to say no. He was on edge, prepared to see assassins coming from every nook and shadow. He was so fixated on preserving the few lives that were left, he could see little else. But he recognized something in her; he could not be certain if she was kind-hearted or calculating, but he believed the honesty he saw in her face. There was no duplicity, just an unapologetic straightforwardness that reminded him more than a little of the boy that was struggling for life inside the compound. He followed his instincts, even though his trust in them was fiercely shaken, and reluctantly stepped aside, gesturing her toward the gate. She stepped past him and he followed in her wake, inhaling the clean, living scent of her, watching with open interest as she stopped briefly outside the room that housed his father. The screens glowed with the gentle gold of candlelight, creating strange shadows that appeared more ominous than interesting. He watched the back of her head, catching her eye as she glanced carefully at him, expression inscrutable, before relying on her senses to find the room that housed Kanaye.

Furu was absent when they entered and Inutaisho knelt beside Seiya, watching as she extended one pale hand toward Kanaye's mottled face.

"I would not recognize this as the same boy. It seems Eido's heart holds little kindness or mercy, even toward someone so unprepared," she murmured, turning her face toward him, angelic in the dim light.

"He was able to stay up long enough to keep the vultures off of Father. He was alone with them when I found him. I am not sure how he managed it."

"I imagine hoping to hear you say something like that was part of his motivation."

Inutaisho's brow furrowed at that as he regarded his struggling brother. Did Kanaye value his approval so much? He was not sure. Their's was not the sort of typical relationship that brothers tended to have, with the younger dogging each and every revered step of the elder. No, he and Kanaye had a different sort of kinship, one of mutual respect, of distinct personalities, of shared camaraderie against a pack of overzealous sisters and an understanding that one was very unlike the other. They were two sides of a coin, opposites that orbited the same sun, which was the burden that came from being the only sons of a taiyoukai that was widely regarded as the most dominant figure in Japan, of a ruler who had been unshakably in place for over five hundred years.

Inutaisho was roused from his thoughts as he watched Seiya gently inspect Ryuujin's work: that dark, hellish wound that had been punched through the chest and was now refusing to close. It all but pulsed with a dark poison that had Asira's people baffled.

"I know this," she said softly. "Does your father suffer from the same?"

"Yes. It's not responding to anything we do. It's spreading and I believe it is the reason their other injuries are not healing."

"That is because this was inflicted by Ryuujin. I will assume you were not touched by it during your own battle with Eido."

Inutaisho's face was grim. "It will be a cold day in hell before I allow that bastard to touch me with anything."

"You must understand," Seiya went on, looking at him earnestly, "that sword was created specifically to destroy youkai. Even if a death blow is not dealt, one will eventually succumb to the spreading effects."

He felt something hard settle in the pit of his stomach. "Then you are saying there is no way to help them?"

"That is not what I said at all, but that sword reflects Eido's cruelty very well." Her expression became almost sympathetic as she said, "This cannot be cured; it must be cleansed. You will have to find a human priest or priestess to help them."

"You are telling me to have them purified? In their current state? It will kill them," he replied brusquely.

"Then perhaps it would be merciful either way. They will die as they are and it will be a slow, undignified death. You must make a decision."

He made no immediate reply, watching as slender fingers lightly grazed the shadowy, spreading wound ... and, apparently, that was all it took. Kanaye's chest suddenly rose with the sound of a death rattle as sickly yellow eyes opened. One ruined hand instinctively struck like a snake, grasping Seiya's fingers in a death grip and filling the room with the sound of snapping bone. Inutaisho moved to separate them, but Seiya, looking distinctly unperturbed by the crushing grip, gestured with her other hand for him to be still.

"Kanaye," she said in quiet greeting, clasping the back of his clenched hand with her free one. "You are even more of a troublemaker than I first guessed. Well done." She glanced at Inutaisho once more. "I can see the decision in your face. Go. I will stay with them."

Something in him remained hesitant, even as he found himself trusting her words. "Why are you doing this, Seiya?"

She considered that for a moment before replying quietly, "Because I think I will be important to you."

* * *

Inutaisho went to the nearest human town of substance, one that was tucked neatly into a hillside, sleepy and silent and unprepared for the arrival of a bitter, angry youkai. If anyone owed him anything, if anyone should be forced to save those lives it was a human and he was prepared to do what he had to do in order to make that happen. He dropped onto the road out of his pitched hurry, movements shadowed by the purple of pre-dawn, feeling that surge of anger rising once more as soon as he caught that human scent. It was uncharacteristic; he had been raised toward something else, but his soul burned for vengeance and, for once, his innate benevolence toward humans seemed to be lacking. Intellectually, he understood the difference between these people and those of Hokido, but in his heart he knew humans would not be so discerning between demons if the situation were reversed. He wanted to show them what it felt like to lose everything in the space of hours, to know what it was like to see family members dissected on the ground, spent and meaningless. In his mind's eye, he could see what he could do to this place; he could destroy it. Remove it from existence. He could _take_ a priest. He could take a dozen of them and force them to save his father and brother.

Inutaisho slipped past the sentries at the gate and dropped into one of the backstreets near the outer wall, still considering the fate of this place. His head immediately turned, taking in the odd sights and sounds of a town waking up. He saw the open back door of a small hut, the sounds and smells of cooking, and then movement ... he looked on as a small girl knelt at play, whirling some sort of stick with a shiny stone tied to the end. She stopped when she noticed him, looked up at her surprising visitor and smiled with all the innocence that comes from ignorance.

"Yasha," she murmured.

"I am no spirit," he replied, equally quietly. _And I am not terribly friendly at the moment, I'm afraid. _He and the girl regarded each other silently for a few moments, her face full of curiosity, his blank and appraising. And then he felt a sudden surge of shame. _She does not understand me because she does not know what I am capable of. She has not seen it for herself and that is to Asira-sama's credit._ He would not undo Lady Asira's work in a moment of vengeance against a group of people who had nothing to do with his predicament.

Inutaisho turned from the girl and moved silently through the empty backstreet until he reached the village's small, crude temple. It was surrounded by a neatly-tended garden, meant to radiate simplicity and austerity, a symbol of calm for the people of the village, but it did nothing to soothe him. He walked up the steps and pushed open the doors, face cooling into an indecipherable mask as he prepared himself for the most likely response to a youkai's sudden entry. Lured by the sounds of intrusion, an elderly, robed monk entered the room to investigate and, immediately, his mouth opened as though to alert his fellows. He was quickly silenced by Inutaisho's upraised hand.

"There is no reason to call them. With or without them, I could easily destroy this place and its people, and I would prefer not. Deal with me civilly and I will offer the same. Needlessly escalate this and I will fully defend myself."

The man glanced cautiously over one shoulder before gesturing toward a small room off the main thoroughfare. Inutaisho followed him inside, turning to watch as the monk quickly snapped the door to a close. The scent of incense was thick, coating his sense of smell with its sickening aroma.

"Why have you come here, youkai? This is a place of rest and peace, and your kind finds comfort in neither." The monk's tone was suspicious; hands hung loosely at his sides, even as the subtle shake of fingers suggested he was feeling more nervous than calm.

"To be blunt, I need you," Inutaisho replied, unblinking as he stared into the ancient, weathered face. "My family has come under assault. Our enemies used a weapon that inflicts a kind of damage that cannot be healed by our own bodies; the wounds fester and spread like disease, ultimately leading to death. I have been told that the only viable cure requires the assistance of a priest ." He paused, then added, "I have no other option. To save their lives, I have to ask you to purify them."

"You are inuyoukai from the west," the man murmured, brown eyes narrowing in appraisal. "Why would you come so far to make such a strange request?"

"At the moment, we are guests of Lady Asira, the taiyoukai who rules the demons of southern Japan. She has not faltered in her kindness toward us, but it is imperative that we move on quickly, both for her well-being and for the human population," Inutaisho explained, hoping honesty would win what force could not. "I cannot move my father and brother until they are cured."

The monk's gaze was dispassionate, unreadable, and his answer crushing. "You cannot believe that a human monk would defile himself in such a way. Youkai feed on human misery and despair. I cannot assist you. It would go against everything I stand for, everything I protect here."

There was a hot surge of temper as Inutaisho felt his control begin to slip, anger evident in his voice. "You have no idea what you are talking about, old man. If you knew anything about our ways or who you are dealing with, you would be _asking_ to assist me. The ramifications of my father's death will be felt by many, human and demon alike."

"Is that a threat?"

"It can be if that motivates you."

The monk pulled back then, eyes hooded. "Then you represent exactly what I protect this village from," he said lowly, breaking the stalemate as he paced a few steps toward the middle of the room. He put up a relaxed front, but Inutaisho's eyes could pick up the tell-tale signs of strain in his voice and posture. "I will not help you, youkai."

Inutaisho's restraint broke then. He grabbed hold of the monk before he could stop himself, pressing him against the wall as one hand wrapped entirely around the old man's spindly arm. "This sort of ignorance is what leads to needless death," he barked. "It is not_ I _who will bring disaster to you and your village, it is the man who defeated my family. You do not know him or what he is capable of. You know as little about him as you do about me, and yet you, so secure in your false wisdom and your lacking education filled with human nonsense, assume that I am like him." He released the man with a light shove, putting distance between them before his anger gained a better foothold. "My family serves as a bulwark in the west. We have stood between the demon and human population for over ten centuries, just as Asira-sama does here. I am sure you despise her, too, do you not? You think she is merely idle, secure in her power and unwilling to move against the humans around her? You have no idea what she does _every day _so that the people in your village can endure a mindless afternoon of rice-farming, so that your children can play safely without being snatched from their mothers' arms by some mindless youkai. You are so smug and self-righteous. I see it in your face. You believe that ease of mind has come through your efforts and not hers, and you are so very wrong."

"You speak nonsense," the old man sneered, offended by the words. "We are beneath her notice. That is how we survive. Youkai view us as a pestilence."

"Yes, that is so. Many do view humans in that way, but it remains a matter of pride. A tight leash on the lesser youkai is a direct expression of power. I do not know Asira-sama's true feelings toward humans, but I can tell you for a fact that her work keeps you alive, whether directly or indirectly. It is the same in the west. If you refuse to help me, you are effectively destroying what defense there is for the humans that reside there."

The monk was silent for several moments before finally replying, "Even if what you say is true, I cannot assist you. I have my oaths and I will not break them to save something so monstrous. Youkai are born from depravity, from the worst of what lurks in this world. It would only be to human benefit if whatever weapon was used against your people continued its work."

Inutaisho swallowed back the black rage those words summoned, quelling his desire to obliterate the tiny old man as he carefully controlled his voice. "You call us monstrous and depraved. Do you even know who you refuse to save? Then I will tell you. My younger brother, Kanaye. He's an absolute brat, but I cannot express how proud I am of that boy. He has educated himself beyond any of us; in fact, I would wager he knows more about humans and their cultures than the lot of this village combined. He spends his days teaching a deaf hanyou girl to communicate even though he finds it a thoroughly frustrating task. He takes himself too seriously, he's cocky and overconfident, but his soul is honest and he has never raised a hand against a human." Inutaisho paused, thoughts passing to the other. "Then there is Kazuya-sama, my father. He has served as the western lord for over five centuries. He raised his children to view humans as part of our responsibility, to put ourselves between those who would do harm and those who cannot adequately defend themselves. To him, power is displayed through benevolence and order. We have lost people to his cause, but he has instilled enough honor in me and my siblings to see the virtue in his ways. In the end, he was betrayed by the humans he protected, his people were decimated, his daughters murdered as they fought beside him. He has lost _everything_. All because he so unwisely believed he could trust the humans he'd so often defended in the past, but with your short lives come short memories. Those two, _they_ are the monsters you refuse to save."

The monk's eyes averted as he digested the words, but when he spoke again his voice was kinder. "You show an unexpected capacity for kinship, youkai, and so I will say that you have my sympathies, but this is a demon matter. I will not risk pulling this village into the middle of what is clearly an affair between youkai."

At that, Inutaisho felt himself give in to the absurdity and laughed quietly, a short, bitter sound. There was humiliation at having bared himself so openly to a human, and all for nothing. There was also a seething rage churning just under the surface and it was that that colored his final words. "Then you had better return to your prayers, old man. You will need them, for the west has fallen. If Asira-sama follows, you will look back on this day with the kind of regret I am feeling now." He shoved the door open with one clawed hand, the gold light of full dawn assaulting him in all its splendor. It might as well have been a black, open maw. "There is some irony in this, though, human," he said quietly as he prepared to take his leave. "I will be leaving this village intact even as your inaction finishes the executions my enemies have started. Your callousness and self-interest have shown me that there was indeed a monster in this room all along ... and it wasn't me."

* * *

Inutaisho returned to Asira's home in time to say farewell to his father, who managed to regain some measure of clarity in his final moments. He spoke gently to his mate, gave kind instructions to his son and asked for Sesali, who was brought in by Kaia, more asleep than awake. Not understanding the gravity of the situation, the girl merely tucked herself in beside her father, one small pale hand wrapped around a larger wrist as she returned to sleep. So unaware that this day was not like other days, that when she woke he would not be there, but in some ways, even though the death had been slow and torturous, the end was eerily beautiful. Inutaisho remained on his knees, expressionless, posture erect, listening to his own dull heartbeat as his father's slowed and ceased.

When it was over, he looked to his mother, whose face was pale and shadowed by grief. She reached out one hand to stroke Kazuya's long, silvery hair as she said quietly, "Kanaye will follow him soon. You should remain nearby, Inutaisho." Golden eyes flickered to his face. "Seiya ... that young woman from China ... she remained with him while you were gone. He has been speaking to her some, but so little of it makes sense. It is the same sort of hallucination effect your father suffered."

"Will you not see him, mother? He needs you, not Seiya."

The hand withdrew from Kazuya and she averted her eyes. "There is something ... wrong with Kanaye. Beyond the state of his body. It is like ...," she paused and then looked at him fully, fearfully. "It is almost like he is not my son. I do not recognize him. Something terrible has happened and I feel like I don't fully understand it."

Inutaisho was surprised at this confusion, the uncharacteristic coldness. His mother had always been very hands-on, inordinately so for a youkai, and she had never lacked feeling for any of her children. His mind prompted him back to his arrival on the battlefield and the Kanaye he had found there; he had felt it then, that _difference_ she spoke of, but for it to have altered such deep maternal instinct was chilling. He made sure his voice was kind as he replied, "Mother, he is the same person. I have some idea of what he had to do to keep himself and the others alive. It was beyond what he should have been asked to do. This change you feel in him will pass if he survives; if he does not, you will regret not making peace with him. He is in this state because he was defending those you love. Bear that in mind."

"Let me remember him in the way I knew him. Not as this. When the end comes, I will be there for him," she promised quietly.

_The end_. Inutaisho looked once more at his father; he could feel the body cooling, and so he reached for Sesali, pulling the sleeping girl into his arms as he looked across the room at his father's swords. They had been removed from him and placed in intricately-carved racks that adorned the far wall. His eyes settled on one in particular. _Tenseiga._ The newer of the swords that had been crafted by Toutousai; it was capable of resurrecting humans, its abilities a gift from the western gatekeeper to the youkai lord who so frequently extended himself to protect the frailest of creatures within his domain. _Kuroshi ... it is not humans who need resurrecting today ..._

He was on his feet before the idea had completely formed, passing Sesali off to his mother as he moved to the sword. Its polished hilt gleamed in the dull, orange light as he unclasped it from its sheath, pulling it out partially for inspection. It represented a joint effort between himself and his father, a symbol, the blade constructed from both of them, meant to be passed from Kazuya to Inutaisho from the very beginning. And now, he supposed, it had been. Wordlessly, he placed the sword fully in the sheath once more and secured it at his side before turning to find his mother eyeing him questioningly.

"I have someone I need to speak to, Mother. I will be back by morning," he said, feeling her appraising stare on his back as he exited the room, heart heavy and steps heavier. Within moments, he was sliding open the door to his room, grateful to find Seiya where he had left her, seated primly beside Kanaye's still, sweat-soaked body as though waiting for tea to be served. _You really are a princess, aren't you? _he thought idly.

Seiya glanced up at him questioningly, eyes jewel-like in the low light as he knelt beside her. She seemed to find her answer in his demeanor. "It was not your failure," she said coolly, without preamble. "Humans have many failings. Their blindness when it comes to self-preservation is only one of many. They do not understand that as they seal the fate of your family, they help seal their own. Eido will not extend the benevolence and protection that was offered by your father."

He nodded. "That argument fell on deaf ears."

"You carry a new sword."

_Nothing gets past you, does it?_ he wondered in surprise as he brushed one hand across the sheath. "This is Tenseiga. It's a healing sword, meant to give my father some extra level of protection for the humans. He has always used it sparingly, but now ... if the humans will not help me, I will go to the western gatekeeper to see what he can do, if anything."

"Can he resurrect youkai as well?"

"I don't know. Most of his dealings have been with my father, so I do not know the extent of his powers, but he is my last option, short of abducting a human priest and attempting to force him to heal Kanaye. That is likely to end up with Kanaye being killed in an act of martyrdom. I cannot risk that just yet." His troubled gaze traveled to his brother. "I am running out of options, Seiya."

"Then go. I will remain until you return. Your mother seems to be ... struggling with him," she said delicately, nod indicating Kanaye.

At that, a surge of warmth toward her briefly lightened his heart. He reached for the hand closest to him and was surprised when she allowed him to take it. The fingers Kanaye had snapped earlier were neatly aligned once more and so he allowed himself to press them lightly between his own. "At least now he seems more inclined to sleep than to break bones."

"He is free to break them as much as he likes. It means he is still alive," she replied lightly, lips curving seductively in faint humor. "He is enduring the worst of this. The least I can do is offer a small amount of commiseration." She appeared thoughtful as she regarded the hand that had entwined with hers. "Save his life, Inutaisho. Focus on that. And when that is done, I will save all of you. You have my word."

He studied her with some surprise. She was a total enigma to him: detached, but warm ... calculating, but compassionate ... she made no sense. He could not predict her, but he was confident in one thing already: her word was good. She was nothing if not honest, he could feel that much for certain. "I barely know who or what you are," he admitted quietly. "I don't know what you want, but I am inexpressibly grateful for you right now."

She turned to face him fully, mere inches from him as flawless lips turned upward once more, green eyes wide and honest. "I think I want you," she replied softly, blunt as ever, "but right now my focus is on making sure you live long enough for me to know for certain. Part of that is keeping your family safe for you. I already do that for my own. What you see is a natural extension of me. Don't fear my intentions."

His heart all but thumped gratitude for this strange, beguiling girl as he leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the forehead, just above the crescent mark that had so captivated him the day he had first laid eyes on her. It was a platonic gesture of thanks ... and not so much, because he felt certain she was meant to be more to him than a friend. She had all but said so herself, that she would be important to him. He knew better than to believe anything else.

Inutaisho drew away from her and rose to his feet, sliding the door open to find that the thick snowfall had returned, gray skies unleashing a torrent of white on the heavily-coated grounds. He stopped instantly, obediently, at the sound of her voice.

"Inutaisho," she murmured. "You have my condolences for your father."

He glanced back at her, unable to fully voice his loss, and so he said what was most sincere in his heart. "He was a good man."

"He has been replaced by the same," she replied, her own answer ringing just as honestly.

* * *

The sky was pitch black and pinpricked by stars that resembled tiny beads of light sewn into a velvet tapestry. The crisp air and light snowfall made for what Inutaisho would long remember as the clearest, most beautiful night in his memory. There was a sense of clarity, of resolution, all clinging to the very air he breathed. As he waited for Kuroshi's arrival, Inutaisho marveled that he could appreciate such natural beauty on one of the worst days of his life.

He felt it then, that subtle surge in youki that always preceded Kuroshi's arrival, and he turned to look behind him as a lithe form emerged from the ice-slickened pond. The demon coalesced quickly, morphing from insubstantial to robed and present, all within mere moments ... and then Kuroshi's eternally young face smiled kindly back at him, sea-colored hair hanging in gentle waves across his shoulders.

"I am surprised to see you here, Inutaisho. This is a difficult time for you."

Inutaisho took a step toward him, feeling a sense of relief at the absolute peace the demon radiated. It was like a soothing balm applied to a raw wound. "Then you know I am in full possession of Tenseiga now."

Kuroshi's head bowed deferentially. "I also know that you are now the western lord. Western Japan has reason to mourn ... and to celebrate. Kazuya-sama was a great and just man. You will be even greater, that I know without doubt."

Inutaisho couldn't stop the derisive sound he made at that proclamation. "Greater than him at what? I have lost the west. I am lord of nothing, and right now I am not able to spare the energy to care overly much about that. I am here to ask you for help, Kuroshi. You owe me nothing, but I've come to you because of your unique ... associations ... and the affection you hold toward my family." Inutaisho barely recognized his own voice, but he was out of options other than to return to Asira's home and build two funeral pyres. "I have very little else to lose and I am willing to do whatever is necessary to keep what's left."

"Kanaye."

"Yes."

Kuroshi's pale eyes fell to where Tenseiga rested against Inutaisho's hip. "That sword ... I remember the day your father brought it to me. He said it was created with all the heart and authority of the west, that it came from the two of you. He was a unique individual." Kuroshi smiled fondly at his own memories, reaching forward questioningly for the sword. Inutaisho detached it from his side and handed it to him. "His pride in you was fierce. As hard as he worked, as much blood and effort as he put into his domain, he told me that you were his greatest accomplishment in the west."

The soothed wound was suddenly rubbed raw. "He was as intensely forgiving of my flaws as I was of his. Neither of us was perfect, but we saw each other clearly. You cannot ask for more from a father than that."

"He molded you into precisely what the west needs to save itself."

Inutaisho said nothing to that, simply looked on as Kuroshi unsheathed Tenseiga and stared at his own bright reflection. Without warning, he passed one hand over the blade, a gentle caress that slit the hand from fingers to wrist. Blood dripped into soft, pristine snow as Kuroshi looked up once more and extended his hand for inspection. "If a human had done the same, it would have healed immediately. I believe you are here because this sword is incomplete. I know you well, Inutaisho. Just as I knew Kazuya."

Inutaisho frowned at the enigmatic words. "I came because I want the option to resurrect Kanaye if he should die."

"You are treading dangerous ground," Kuroshi said lightly, but his tone suggested seriousness. "For a youkai to be able to wield something that exerts such complete dominance over death, that risks all natural balance. It is beyond my power to grant."

"Then not even you can help me," Inutaisho said quietly, that feeling of defeat resurging. He was certain he had never before felt such total, all-encompassing exhaustion.

"I did not say that," Kuroshi replied, smiling faintly as Inutaisho's head lifted once more. "I will intervene with my master on your behalf. Demon souls are his domain and he is a jealous, possessive caretaker. If he agrees, I must warn you to wield that sword carefully, thoughtfully. If your interventions are excessive, you will unleash something that I think even the mighty Inutaisho-sama may not be prepared for."

"But you believe he will grant your request?"

"I believe he will demand something in return."

Internal warning rang as Inutaisho cautiously asked, "And what will that be?"

The western gatekeeper glanced up at the pitch-dark sky. "Do you see the clearness in this night? It is a beauty rarely appreciated by the creatures of this world, human and youkai alike." Light wind jostled Kuroshi's hair as he moved closer to Inutaisho, soul as clean and bare as the night sky above them. "I am from the sea, but I have been land-locked, serving my master and your family for so long, I cannot remember the smell of salt in the air or the comfort of total immersion. But I _do_ remember that the sky so often looked like this. Clean, new, like it was freshly-washed by the hand of a god. My heart sings every time I see it."

"Your master will not allow you to return to the sea?"

Kuroshi lifted his arms, the silvery threads of ghostly manacles glowing briefly in pale starlight. "I am trapped. He will not release me until I have a replacement strong enough to endure my position. I am stuck here for eternity until that happens."

Grim understanding dawned on Inutaisho then. "You want me to agree to be your replacement."

Kuroshi nodded, smile fading, appearing almost apologetic. "Not immediately. I will wait as long as I can, for you have so much to accomplish yet, so much left to do to secure the legacy your father left you. I will wait for as long as I can. It is a difficult thing for me to ask at all. I feel genuine love for your family. I felt them pass through the gate. Each of them."

Inutaisho silently regarded Kuroshi before finally asking in an odd tone, "Are they at peace?"

"There was so much confusion the night your sisters died. It was so unexpected, I was caught off guard and so I cannot say for certain." His voice became gentle as he went on, "Your father was different. There was a feeling of completion, an inadequate word to describe what I felt, but close enough. It is .. a warm experience, beautiful and peaceful, when a soul passes through in that way." He stopped, seeming to search for words as Inutaisho listened in silent wonder. "I suppose I can say it best in this way: his heart was not consumed with Eido or loss or treachery, it was filled with all of you."

Inutaisho turned his back to Kuroshi, mind and heart filled with the demon's words. They had respawned that unnamed agony, the same one he had felt so keenly when he'd cleansed himself of Ayakami's lingering scent. He knew he was not thinking clearly; he wasn't even sure if he was capable of that anymore. His recent losses had finely honed his sense of purpose into one of preservation. Save Kanaye. Keep them all safe. Return for the west.

He felt his hand wrap around the hilt of his own sword. It was what he had always turned to in an effort to preserve what was important before. Now, though, it was useless. The enemy was beyond his reach, even beyond his voice. All it would take to vanquish it was to offer himself. There was both dread and peace in the decision, and some distant irony. He would buy Kanaye's life for the price of his own, even though he was certain the human monk would have argued the idea that youkai had souls at all.

A future already written, a debt to be paid.

* * *

He could not _feel_ a difference in Tenseiga. Inutaisho had only Kuroshi's word that his master, the Serpent King, had agreed to the terms, and that it had been returned to him capable of reviving youkai. His mind was full of the looming toll; not knowing when the contract would be called in was difficult to accept, though he supposed knowing would be even worse. It would be pointlessly distracting, living life with a date circled in his mind. It was done. It was the least he owed his family for not having been there that night; everything, all that had gone wrong had spun outward from his decision to leave that day. He wondered how long that would haunt him, that last careless conversation with Shinya when she had teasingly referred to him as the spare in her shadow. He felt now that he would be in her shadow forever, tied to the task of righting what he could and praying for forgiveness for the rest.

He was so distracted, he barely saw Asira-sama's walled home come into view in the distance, but his sense of hearing managed to snap him out of his reverie. A cry. Agonized, vengeful, like something unearthly unleashed. Instantly, he picked up speed, hurtling toward the compound and past the stone walls. The front courtyard was quiet, encapsulated by the usual snowy solitude, and so he rushed to the back, ears picking up on his mother's fearful voice ... Seiya's clear, demanding tone ... and ...

He stopped himself almost as soon as he rounded the building, horror struck by what he found. The snowswept grounds were soaked with blood and ... remnants ... of something that had once been living. He felt his insides harden at the sight, his sense of smell assaulted by the reek of blood and death. Beyond the wasted remains, he found Seiya bent in the snow, silvery-gold hair loose and fluttering in the calm breeze as she worked to pin a struggling form that had managed to wrap a hand around her throat.

_Kanaye. _

He moved before he had completely absorbed the scene, passing Kaia, then his mother, who appeared pale and stricken as she watched Seiya's struggle. Inutaisho shoved past them and bent beside Seiya. If the situation had not been so dire, he supposed he would almost have smiled at the look of cool calculation she wore, as though unmoved by the Kanaye-like creature that was desperately attempting to throttle the life out of her. Green eyes flickered briefly toward him before she dug further into the snow with her legs, using all of her strength to keep the boy from throwing her off of him. Wordlessly, he pried Kanaye's fingers from around her throat and gripped the hand as he worked to get his face in the boy's field of vision.

"Kanaye! _Enough_!" He barked the words, amazed at the sudden change from prone and sleeping to possessing a murderous, vengeful strength. The eyes were red-tinged, radiating a molten rage Inutaisho had never seen before. He felt Seiya pressed beside him, warm and unrelenting in her own attempts to hold down her charge.

Inutaisho tried a different tactic then, dropping his voice to something calmer even as he kept a firm grip on the arm. "The battle is over, Kanaye. Stop this. You're hurting Seiya and frightening our mother."

He watched that familiar face change, eyes fading back to a murky gold as Kanaye's head dropped back into the snow, exhausted, chest heaving for air. The fight drained out of the body so suddenly and completely, Inutaisho could almost feel Seiya's suspicion. He nodded gratefully at her and she rose to her feet, all grace once more as she peered down at the two brothers who remained firmly embedded in the snow. Inutaisho released his grip on Kanaye's arm as he recognized the weary, bewildered stare.

"Nee-sama..."

"You brat. I'm not _that_ pretty," Inutaisho replied warmly to Kanaye's obvious confusion.

"Nii-sama."

"That's more like it." He glanced up at Seiya, who appeared regal and aloof once more. "Who was that?" he questioned, nodding toward the remains that littered the snow.

"A priest," she replied calmly. "He went to Asira-sama and told her you had requested his help for your father and brother." Seiya glanced carefully at the now-wilted Kanaye. "He'd been so docile, I did not consider him capable of such a violent response. But when the priest purified Ryuujin's effects ..." A delicate pause. "Well, I can only say that Kanaye reacted badly to being purified and was disturbingly thorough in his methods. I don't believe the priest had time to suffer very much for my error."

"Purified ..." Inutaisho repeated blankly. The weight of Tenseiga suddenly felt unbearably heavy. The priest had changed his mind; he'd come after all and had lost his life for it. Inutaisho had been desperate to avoid more death, and had lost his future for it. If he had waited longer, neither he or the monk would have lost anything at all. He would almost have found humor in the ridiculousness of it all if not for the grim horror of the situation.

He looked beyond Seiya for his mother ... and was disheartened to find her gone, completely absent from the scene. He did not understand what had changed, but there was an undercurrent of something he found disturbing. The mother that had raised them would have been the first to run _to_ Kanaye, not the first to run away, and he could not explain why there had been such a fundamental shift in her feelings. He did see that Kaia still lurked nearby and sent her on an errand to clean the gory mess that was Kanaye's room.

That left only the three of them out in the snow: himself, Seiya and Kanaye. Just like that day at Eido's home when Kanaye had sent Eizan away with a broken nose and a good dose of wounded pride. It seemed so long ago. Now, though, for the first time in days, there was an honest sense of hope. Kanaye's body was freed of Ryuujin's poison and already lurching into recovery mode and Seiya had proved to be exactly the ally he'd needed, right when he had needed one most. He looked up at the woman that stood over him, little more than a girl, really, but so serious and forthright, it was easy to forget that. She seemed to sense his warm thoughts because she knelt in the snow once more, glancing carefully at him before leaning forward to whisper something in Kanaye's ear.

When Seiya's head lifted, she graced him with one of her rare, sincere smiles. "You did save him, you know, even if it wasn't the way you thought you would have to do it. He smells like Kanaye now, not like Ryuujin. His body can take care of the rest."

Inutaisho's answering smile was rather grim as he glanced from her to the blood-splattered snow. He felt certain he was in for an interesting discussion with Asira-sama. "I need to see what I can do for the priest. I suppose I owe him that much."

"And I need to see to the promise I made to you," Seiya said brusquely, rising to her feet once more.

"To save me and my family?" he asked curiously. "And just how will you see to that?"

"Don't look so smug, Inutaisho," she replied archly. "My methods are my own. You can expect to hear from me soon."

He looked on as she turned to leave, his curiosity getting the best of him. "You whispered something to Kanaye. May I ask what you said?"

She glanced over her shoulder, seeming to consider whether she wanted to divulge the information. "I reminded him that he once said the two of you were useless. I told him I have never known anyone who has displayed as much effort and devotion as the two of you. You suit each other."

She moved away and this time Inutaisho let her go, keeping his mind's reply to himself. _And you, princess ... I am more than certain that you suit me..._

* * *

Locating Eido's army encampment was a simple matter. Seiya had only to follow the trail of dead humans and burned out villages until she found the carousing pack of dog demons situated in the valley outside Ayakami. The noise and scent of them set her in a rather irritable mood, her arrival inciting a near-violent response as they reacted first to the sight of her, pale and fair-haired, much like the western inuyoukai. Scent wisely won that battle before it started and they settled down, though there was some measure of violence when one of them unwisely whispered a lewd suggestion as she passed.

Seiya calmly stepped over the body and moved on to Eido's tent, entering without so much as a warning or an invitation. She found the dark-haired northern lord examining an ancient, tattered map, his muscular form caught in the dusky glow of candlelight. Eido was known to spend a lot of time on his weapons training and he looked every bit the part.

He glanced up briefly from his work. "I was surprised to hear you did not return to China."

"I will return when I am ready."

"I was also surprised to hear that you've been lurking about Lady Asira's home with the remnants of the western filth."

She moved forward a few steps until she was standing less than an arm's reach from him. "You sound jealous, Eido."

He sighed at that and dropped the map, violet eyes flickering toward her. "Perhaps. But then I have never made my feelings for you a secret, have I? You are special, Seiya. Generally, when I want something, I just take it."

She smiled grimly at that. "You can try to take it. Is Eizan prepared to take over as northern lord? I can assure you there will be a vacancy."

Eido laughed genuinely at that and she was surprised, as always, by his strange affection for her. He got to his feet and moved to open a lacquered trunk, placing the map inside before withdrawing another. He set it on the table before turning his full attention to her. "I will not lay a hand on you until you ask for it, and now that you seem wrapped up in the tragic saga of the west's darling Inutaisho-sama, I gather that I will be waiting a while longer. I assume he has something to do with why you have come to me."

Seiya folded silk-sleeved arms, schooling her face into the expression that tended to send her father's workers scrambling for cover. "I came to tell you something, not to ask you for something."

"Oh?" Eido asked, eyebrows rising with interest. "Then say it. You have, as always, my undivided attention."

"I am going to return to China with Inutaisho and his family," Seiya said calmly. "If you choose to follow them, if you cross the sea and enter my territory, I will make certain you disappear in a most violent and unfortunate way. You will be a sad footnote in the history of your people, and you know that I have both the ability and the resources to make that happen."

He sighed at that, reaching out one large hand to gently grasp a handful of silky hair. "Do you like him so much, Seiya?"

"I recognize his face," she replied coolly. "The kindness in his soul certainly exceeds mine, but he is so like me in the role he serves within his family. You have broken them. Enough."

"I'm going to kill him one day, as well as the others. It's a matter of time. Don't waste too much energy on them."

"Then don't be surprised if you find me there to meet you."

He released his hold on her hair and stepped back, shaking his head as though in disbelief. "You underestimate the kindness in your soul, Seiya."

A delicate eybrow lifted at that. "Perhaps. Just don't underestimate my more expansive capacity for cruelty, Eido."

His smile returned, oddly sincere and always off-putting to her for the fact that it was so ill-matched to the black soul of this man. "Indeed," he replied, bowing formally. "It's what I enjoy most about you, Hime-sama. Take your new pet and run, but understand that you are only buying time for him."

Seiya moved to exit the tent, her voice laced with warning as she called a parting reply. "Eido, I have met the man you intend to kill. He will come for _you_ some day. In the end, it will be you who will need to buy time."

* * *

_So weird. Seriously. 5 years later and here I go again. As mentioned in my profile, it has always bothered me that this remained unfinished. The original outline/chapter 9 was lost long ago when my computer crashed and I just never gathered the energy to rewrite it all. Now, though, I am stuck trying to remember all the little details of the plot. It's been coming back bit by bit, helped along by the same "soundtrack" I had going when I worked on Chapter 8. Yes, I write by music. :) This chapter feels a little rushed, so I do apologize for that. _

_I cannot say how often this will be updated, only that I intend to finish it so that it will stop bugging me when I think about it. :) I am out of school and have a job, so my free time is a good bit more limited, but it will get done. Now I just have to try to get back "into" the minds of these characters. Chapter 10 will finish out the flashback, and then back to the main story. Next chapter, I follow them to China. :)_


	10. Before the Storm

**Chapter 10 - Before the Storm**

It was completely captivating, nearly melodic. Singing steel hummed a song that was only Seiya's as Inutaisho slowed his steps to watch her finish his unfortunate assassin. His pulse thumped in his ears, insistent, wary, battle-ready, but he'd been delayed and arrived to find the fight finished by the uniquely capable hands of his princess. He crossed the flower-strewn field, inhaling the gentle warmth of spring mixed with the coolness of Seiya as she withdrew her twin blades from the still body in a practiced sweep. Jade eyes swept up the hill at his arrival and he could see the subtle shift in expression, from cold concentration to smugly satisfied.

"What a reckless speed, Inutaisho," she called, resheathing her swords in one fluid movement. "Kanaye said you were still in Hiu Chan with my father. You must have a pact with the devil to have moved so quickly."

He smiled at her in greeting. "Speaking of which, where is he? Lien said he sent her to me, then went after you."

She sighed, then gestured toward the ruined remains of something he could barely identify by sight. The scent, however, was something that was indelibly imprinted into his very core and he immediately recognized it as the stench of Eido's people. Or what was left of them.

"Sometimes I am reminded that I share my home with a rabid animal," she said in a voice that sounded unsure whether it was complimentary or complaining. "There were only six of them, so it was going well, but then your brother was suddenly in the mix, maiming two of them so thoroughly, the last one lost his courage and ran," she said, gesturing toward a small, quaint homestead surrounded by sprouting fields and distressed, bellowing cattle. She turned back to him, her tone derisive, "Eido certainly sends his best, doesn't he? What makes it all the more ridiculous is he has instructed them not to touch me, and so their hands are tied when they find me waiting for them." She shrugged slender shoulders in a careless gesture. "But even Eido's orders go by the wayside when they realize they are about to die; that is when they start to fight back, as pointless as that is."

Inutaisho fell into step with her as they made their way toward the rice farm. "I think you may have touched on the one subject where there is some remnant of agreement between he and I: where this conflict is concerned, you are off limits."

"'Off limits'," she repeated thoughtfully, head tilting slightly as though giving it serious consideration. "I wonder where I gave the impression that I am some breakable piece of porcelain. Was it before or after I separated your assassin's head from his shoulders?"

He laughed lowly at the light warning in her words. "It was no slight against your abilities. I've seen your skills enough to know that you are the last person I would ever wish to fight, for multiple reasons." He paused, then said in a careful voice, "This is a difficult conflict for me to share. It's deeply personal and I have lost more than enough to it already. You must understand why I would want to keep it separate from you and your family. Your father opened his home to us. I won't see that repaid with a repeat of what happened at Ayakami."

She said nothing to that and he turned his attention to the empty fields and neatly-kept home with its thatched roof and eerie aura of silence. He could already feel it. That unique undercurrent of power that threaded the very air with a malice he had reluctantly come to know over the last year; it had transformed his mother into some odd, distant onlooker and prompted Jianyu's frequent expressions of quiet concern.

Inutaisho stepped into the house ahead of Seiya, keen eyesight adjusting immediately to the dimness within, his sense of smell already having prepared him for what he would find. The body of the attempted escapee was sprawled just inside the door, separated into two equal parts. Inutaisho stepped over the widening puddle of fluids, also taking note of the deceased human woman lying on the floor, throat gaping, her blood soaking into a freshly-swept tatami mat. And then the other, her uninvited guest ...

Kanaye was seated at what looked to be a farmer's tool-covered work bench, feet propped casually against the thin wooden wall as he took a long swig of what smelled like old sake. He swallowed and set the bottle on the table, frowning lightly in contemplation, as though not quite sure if he liked it. Blank golden eyes lifted at their entrance. He looked as unperturbed as if they had simply walked in unannounced to interrupt his lunch break, and Inutaisho was struck again by the changes the last year had wrought on his brother. All signs of the quiet, scholarly boy had been obliterated by this errant, sarcastic creature that had grown to within a finger's width of his own height. Sixteen months and an exhaustive, demented training regimen had transformed Kanaye into something solidly-built, highly-skilled and intensely vicious.

Kanaye's eyes gleamed in the dimness as he said, "I figured I'd give you two a few moments to yourselves. You're both so precious, I can barely stand it."

"Kanaye," Seiya said evenly, "you realize you are a shining example of why some animals eat their young?"

"And do _you_ realize that when you talk to me like that, I think of you in a way that makes my brother's face form an expression like that?" he returned, smiling vaguely at the look of pure death that crossed Inutaisho's features.

"Why is that woman dead?" Inutaisho demanded, one clawed finger pointing toward the victim that lay deceased at Kanaye's feet.

"She wouldn't stop screaming," Kanaye complained. "Sure, I chased a demon into her home and murdered him on top of her dining table, but the hysterics were just uncalled for. It's not like the guy was going to sit down to tea with her."

Inutaisho felt Seiya's eyes on him as that slow, familiar frustration began to build yet again. Kanaye's utter lack of discipline was growing worse with time, not better. For a while after his brother recovered from the battle at Ayakami, Inutaisho had written off the random, wicked behavior as something that would pass when he calmed and came to understand that Inutaisho would never allow for them to be caught off guard like that again. Kanaye had been dormant for a while after they'd first arrived in China and the safety of Seiya's family's home, but then he'd grown more distant and quick to anger, and rumors of strange, violent deaths began to circulate amongst the human population. Inutaisho had been forced to use Tenseiga to cover for as many of them as he could.

"Get out. Go home."

"I will when I finish my drink."

"I won't repeat myself."

Kanaye's eyebrows rose with faint interest. "Are you going to clean up after me again? The great Inutaisho-sama, the golden son of the west, has been reduced to wandering around and waving his magical healing sword at these meaningless scraps of human flesh."

"Learn some restraint and you will save me the effort."

Kanaye rose to his feet at that, pacing closer, voice low as he spoke, "There are over 240,000 human vermin infesting this region. That number was reduced by only one today. _There_ is my restraint." He shoved the bottle of sake into Inutaisho's hands as he passed, clapping him hard on the shoulder with the other hand. "You look like you could use a drink, Brother. It's all yours." He moved past them then, exiting into daylight and Inutaisho let him go, his hand moving automatically to pull Tenseiga from where it rested at his side.

"You should reconsider," Seiya suggested calmly, eyes locked dispassionately on the deceased human woman.

He glanced at her. "It's not ideal, but I can hardly leave this for her family to find when they return. These people have nothing to do with any of this. She just happened to be in Kanaye's path."

"Either he needs to be controlled or you have to stop reviving them," she replied seriously. "Many don't remember the specifics of their deaths when you bring them back ... but others do, and it's beginning to cause problems between my father and the humans." She looked at him then. "You must understand, Inutaisho ... the current generation of humans does not like or respect my father, even though he has given them no cause to feel anything but appreciation. They understand who and what he is. They endure our presence because he all but props up the regional economy on his own. If they believe we are becoming too much trouble, there will come a point when his usefulness will not outweigh the danger, and then I will become very, very busy and Kanaye will have true reason to assault the humans."

"I have been too lenient with him for too long," Inutaisho said, tone sounding frustrated to his own ears as he extended Tenseiga over the woman's body, waiting for the impish soul-bearers to reveal themselves.

Seiya frowned lightly, the normally expressionless girl exposing her worry. "Please do what you can. I have to protect my family and that means smoothing relations with the humans. I don't want to do it, but if Kanaye forces my hand, I will have to respond to him."

"I'm not blind, Seiya," he said wryly. "I see the way he looks at you. Feral hound or not, he'd sooner gnaw off his own fingers than lay a hand on you, that I can promise."

"Then you should be worried for him," she warned quietly, still looking troubled as she turned and left him with the deceased and her soul-bearers.

* * *

Kanaye was fairly certain there was still some tattered remnant left of his soul, even if his mother could not make her feelings to the contrary any clearer. After all, there had to be something buried in there somewhere, something that was keeping him from annihilating this stupid, careless, spoiled girl. He watched the back of Lien's golden head, closing his eyes in vexation as she prattled on and on about her music lessons in that overly-sweet, lilting voice that could only come from someone whose greatest concern in life was whether the day called for the upswept hair of local human custom or the gold-threaded silk kimono that had been brought back from some distant, filthy human city. She was like a prized doll set carefully on top of the family shelf by Seiya and Jianyu. Her family lived an odd, twilight life: one foot in the human world and one foot in the youkai world, with Lien's chief concern being whether those feet were covered by acceptably fashionable shoes.

_At least she's nice to look at_, he consoled himself as he watched her walk ahead of him. She was perfectly-formed, pale and delicate and golden, so like her sister, but where Lien's beauty was warm and shatterable, Seiya's was cool and unbreakable. Like moon and sun, utterly opposite, utterly devoted to each other. It was those two, those girls and their opposite ways that had made Kanaye feel like he could breathe again after Ayakami. They were a diversion, sometimes amusing, but more frequently aggravating, a sort of hovering _brightness_ in his peripheral vision that would momentarily draw his attention away from the vicious ugliness in himself. He could explain it no better than that.

Yes, the girl wasn't bad to look at and that was Kanaye's only consolation when Jianyu tasked him with walking Lien to and from the home of her strange, shrunken old music teacher. It was exhausting to him; beyond the effort it took just to put up with the annoyingly exuberant girl, it meant he was forced to walk through the outskirts of human-infested Hiu Chan. From the moment he stepped foot past the gate until the moment he returned to the open road, his muscles tensed as though for battle, blood pumping through veins like liquid rage, hot white flashes punctuating every breath and thought in that odd way that had lingered after Ayakami. He was forced to stand outside the old man's home, listening to the soothing strains of practiced notes while wound so tightly, it was all he could do to keep from lunging at every filthy vermin that passed.

_No wonder Mother sent those exterminators after me_, he thought with bitter humor, looking on impassively as Lien turned to eye him as though checking to make sure he was still there.

"You really don't talk very much. Were you always this quiet?"

"How am I to get a word in when you barely stop to take a breath?" he returned coolly, taking evil pleasure from the anger that flashed in her eyes. Truly, he would rank offending this annoying girl as one of the great pleasures in his new life.

She sighed dramatically. "Inutaisho is so gracious and well-mannered. How is it that you are related to him at all? I can barely see it ... other than the looks, of course."

"You're saying you like the way I look?"

"I - no!" she exclaimed, caught off guard. "I am saying, there is a resemblance betwe-"

"Then stop blushing at me like some lovestruck fool," he demanded, making a circular motion with his hand. "Turn around and walk. Stop concerning yourself with why I don't speak to you. You won't like the answer."

She ignored his command, hands falling to silk-covered hips as she stopped in the middle of the dusty road to look him in the face. He could almost laugh for the sheer lack of intimidation she exuded.

"What?" she asked, voice rising with offense. "Say it, for heaven's sake!"

Kanaye allowed himself to move toward her, leaning in almost conspiratorially, so close he could feel the heat mingle between their bodies. Her heart betrayed her with a sudden surge of erratic beating. "You have a singular purpose in my life, Hime-sama," he said in a tone that was low and hypnotic as he breathed in the warm, lilac smell of her.

"What purpose?" she murmured, pale green eyes fixated on his hovering face, seeming to forget her anger with his sudden, unexpected closeness.

"You are my punishment for being such an evil, heartless son of a bitch," he snapped, impatient fingers making the turning motion again. "Now turn that dumb look back toward the road and start moving your feet."

Her face tightened angrily and she whirled around, surging forward with a renewed and energetic pace as she unleashed a stream of shrill complaints about him. He listened apathetically, distracted by the appearance of four humans on horseback, barely more than dark specks in the distance. They traveled quickly and he felt that swift-building black rage begin to beat in the back of his head as ears filled with the sound of heavy, thumping hooves and scent picked up the sickening smell of oiled leather and inadequately-washed human. He could feel that they were trouble long before they displayed poor judgement by stopping to block the road.

Lien turned to look at him questioningly as three men and one boy dismounted from their nervous mares. The apparent leader stepped forward first, making the bad decision of looking Kanaye directly in the face. "You are a demon of the Xian clan."

"Don't insult me with your human nonsense," Kanaye sneered. "Jianyu may have accepted one of your filthy last names, but _never_ attribute it to me."

"You were at my farm yesterday," the man accused. "You did something to my wife. I don't know what happened, but she flinches at every sound as though convinced death is upon her."

Kanaye exhaled a weary breath, turning to shake his head at Lien in open exasperation. "_This_ is what happens when my brother uses Tenseiga to sweep up after me." He glanced back at the angry man. "All right, human, I'll bite."_ Quite literally_, came the mental nod. "Just what do you intend to do?"

"I am here to avenge my wife."

"Wait," Lien spoke up as she moved toward the farmer, "you don't understand all of what happened yest-" She stopped as a blade swung in her direction, but its threat was instantly removed. Kanaye struck with swift precision and razor-sharp claws, removing the wielder's hand so suddenly, so cleanly, there was a moment of stunned silence before the pained shrieking began. The unfortunate victim collapsed in the road, body wrapped around the ruined, gushing appendage as the boy moved to help him.

Calm and casual in his movements, Kanaye bent to retrieve the weapon from where it had dropped, coldly eyeing the group's leader as he snapped the blade in two and tossed it into the grass. "Will you avenge him next?" he asked in a venomous voice.

"Japan is infested with youkai because they live in fear of you," the leader said harshly. "You will find we don't scare so easily here. Our patience is ending, demon. You will either adjust to our way of life or be destro-"

The man was cut off when a large hand swept out and wrapped around his throat, pulling him off his feet and hauling him to face level with an angry, hovering demon. Desperate hands clutched ineffectively at Kanaye's viselike fingers as his face began to redden from the stranglehold.

"This is what it feels like to adjust to _my_ way of life," Kanaye hissed viciously in the man's face. "Avenge your woman, human. I am waiting." There was a pause as the man continued to struggle. One of the other companions drew his own sword and lunged at Kanaye, who responded with an absent sweep of claws that opened the throat with a fatal slash. The body instantly dropped into the dirt and Lien delicately sidestepped the rushing pool of blood that began to soak the road.

He turned his attention back to the oxygen-starved man that dangled in front of him. He was becoming sluggish, fading, and Kanaye smiled grimly into his face. "I am the last thing your wife saw before she died. My brother restored her life, but he is not here to do the same for you. You've made me very angry today and so I have decided to undo his work. "

"Kanaye," Lien whispered in a sad voice, eyes wide with quiet dismay.

"I congratulate you on your true and abiding love, human," Kanaye said mockingly as the body relaxed in his grip. "But you've failed your wife." He tossed the dead man away from him, the body thumping to the ground like a heavy sack of rice. He then turned his attention toward the boy, who still knelt next to the amputee, looking like a deer caught in the sights of a predator. Kanaye took a purposeful step toward him, but drew up with some surprise when Lien moved to intercept. She planted herself in his path, a skinny creature that exuded about as much threat as his kid sister.

"_No_," she said forcefully. "You can't kill them all just because they challenged you."

He stepped back at that, face darkening at finding himself repelled by a heart that lent itself too easily to mercy and kindness. "You fool. I destroyed them because they challenged_ you_. Or did you miss the part where that blade cut within a hair's width of your pretty white throat?"

She blinked in open confusion. "You don't even like me."

Kanaye smiled thinly, a strange mixture of possession and cruelty reflected in his eyes. "You're perceptive, Hime-sama. I don't like you. I think you are a useless, self-important scrap of a girl, but you can carelessly live your life knowing that I will destroy anyone who lays a hand on you."

"That doesn't make sense, Kanaye ..."

"That is because you are youkai in blood only. Your heart bleeds sympathy for these insignificant creatures who would happily leave_ you _bleeding out at the side of the road if given the opportunity. Your strange values mean you cannot understand the chasm of debt that separates your family and mine, but it is foremost in my mind. Always."

* * *

The moon was massive and ruddy-gold, like a bleeding sun shining in the night. It was considered to be a terrible omen, a beacon of evil, and its terrible light was cast down on the distant town of Hiu Chan. Inutaisho looked on from his perch on the steps of Jianyu's palatial home as he listened to Sesali's small voice obediently recite Sun Tzu's writings. Human or not, Inutaisho had found some value in the man's works and had set the girl to the task of learning it. It was never too early. He had learned that the hard way.

Crickets chirped loudly from within the carefully-tended gardens that wound outward around them, away from the main house and its half dozen separate wings. Seiya's father had mated into an ancient line of Japanese youkai that had been considered something like royalty before the rise of the regional lords, and the man had built his mate a home to reflect her status more than his tastes. Xian Jianyu was a simple, uncomplicated man and all but a foundation for that region of China, so much so that the humans had gifted him with the last name "Xian" - _immortality_ - reflective of how he had remained unchanged through their generations. Inutaisho had bonded closely with him over the past year, frequently assisting him in his business when he was not busy repelling Eido's long distance attempts to murder him. Jianyu had taken them in, welcomed them into his family and Inutaisho felt certain that was a debt he could never fully repay. Jianyu, Seiya, Lien ... he had fit into their strange world like a key to lock. And Sesali was happy, carefree; she'd proved resilient and had grown past the scars of Ayakami that had altered their mother and brother on a level he was still trying to understand.

_And I do want to understand_, he thought to himself, absently searching the darkness for signs of Kanaye. He had done all he could to save his brother's life all those months ago ... but there were times when he felt like he was still trying to save it. There was a coldness to Kanaye now, a sleeping rage that would suddenly manifest itself in acts so brutal and unconscionable, Inutaisho sometimes wondered if there was anything else left in him. Their own mother openly feared him and it had transformed her into someone Inutaisho was no longer certain he could trust; she hovered at the edge of their world, quietly anxious, with only the ever-loyal Kaia as her confidant.

As if summoned by those thoughts, he looked up to find his brother walking slowly up the stone path, like a silvery ghost in the night. Inutaisho could already smell the blood. _He's been up to something ... _There was movement at his back and he recognized the soft step of his mother who came to collect Sesali, swinging the girl into her arms before stepping back into the shadows to watch her younger son's approach.

"You've been gone a long time," Inutaisho called casually, rising to his feet. "Lien filled me in on the details of what happened today. Will I be hearing about anything else in the morning?"

Kanaye's hands spread in a helpless gesture as he reached the steps. "They only talk if you revive them later. Thanks for that, by the way."

"He will bring destruction to Jianyu-san and this household," their mother spoke up shakily from the dark landing, still clutching Sesali to her chest. Her voice rang with an odd, distant tone.

The words prompted Kanaye's face to become cold and unreadable. "I'm standing right here, Mother."

She seemed not to hear him. "Whatever you are, whatever destroyed my son, I see you even if no one else does. You do not belong in this world." Empty golden eyes swerved to Inutaisho. "You know what you must do." With that cryptic, parting demand, the woman turned away from them and entered the main house, shutting the door with a resounding thud, excising the faint light from inside.

The silence that followed was oppressive. As though expecting the woman to return and air the rest of what was in her troubled mind, Kanaye eyed the door for several silent moments before turning to look at his brother with a blank expression.

"That_ is _the same woman who used to refuse to let me run with sharp objects, right?"

Inutaisho exhaled a short, relieved laugh at the unexpected humor. Even Kanaye appeared to crack a quick, wry smile at the laughter, which was so uncharacteristic these days, it made Inutaisho feel hopeful that this discussion would not fall on deaf ears.

"Are you going to tell me why you reek of human blood?"

"You don't want to know. And no, it will not get back to you. I made sure there were no witnesses."

"Does this have something to do with what happened this afternoon?"

"Entirely."

Inutaisho went silent for a moment, mind turning to the individuals in the sprawling house behind him. Seiya's worries echoed in his ears then and he looked Kanaye in the eye once more, expression serious as he said carefully, "Kanaye ... why do you live?"

The stare that shot his way morphed quickly from surprised to molten hot and defensive. "Mother's feelings have taken root elsewhere, it seems."

Inutaisho shook his head slowly. "I'm not asking you to justify your existence. I am asking you what you live for," he said, refusing to break eye contact. "Do you understand the difference?"

Kanaye frowned, looking caught between confusion and irritation. "What do you mean? What should I live for other than to exist? I refuse to die until every last dirt-breathing Hokido vermin is dead, until every last whore-spawned northern mutt is destroyed." The words were vehement, as though he had been saving them for a while. "Spite and vengeance. _That_ is what I live for."

Inutaisho nodded as though in understanding, finally looking away from his brother's intent face as he gestured toward the house behind them, which shown with a fairytale glow in the ruddy moonlight. "Do you see Jianyu's home for what it is, Kanaye? It's a haven, a fortress. For them and for us. _We_ are the gate that protects it - you, me, Seiya - if one of those links weakens and allows itself to fall, it can all be lost. Just like Ayakami." He leaned in closer then and gripped Kanaye's shoulder, meeting that fiery gaze with one that was equally intense. "_I _was the weak link that day. I made a poor decision and it's something I will live with for the rest of my life, most especially because I see you and Mother and Sesali living with it every day. I know what you carry with you; I see it because I recognize it in myself."

Kanaye shook his silvery head, suddenly looking incredibly young, more like the boy they had lost, and Inutaisho felt as though he was watching his brother search for words. "Every moment is a struggle to check myself," came the low confession. "Today, I saw myself in Lien's face; she was horrified by what I did, but she does not understand that that _was_ restrained, that was all the mercy that is in me. If she could see what was truly in my mind, she would put me to the stake as quickly as Mother." He paused, appearing hesitant, then went on in an uncharacteristically weary voice, "Sometimes I wonder what will happen if I relax, if I unleash myself ... not even I know what I am capable of, but I look at Mother and think that she_ does _know. Something in me broke that night. I can't describe it, but it's what I remember most vividly, it's _always_ under the surface. I'm aware that there is something terrible in me, but I have no remorse or regret for the humans. I look at each of them and I see Hokido and that is enough."

Inutaisho listened, experiencing relief that Kanaye was still able to hold such an honest conversation, experiencing dread because he could hear the empty, soulless undercurrent in the words. He was confident that Kanaye was trying to tell him not just that he couldn't stop, but that he didn't care to. A dangerous apathy. "Your violence against them is escalating, and if it continues you will turn this place into a second Ayakami. That means I will do what I have to do to stop you."

He watched as Kanaye drew back a step at that, posture stiffening, the moment of confidence broken. One hand lightly brushed the hilt of his sword as he offered, "Then shall we solve your problem now, Nii-sama?"

There was an odd pang at the sudden use of that old honorific. "I_ am _your brother, Kanaye," Inutaisho said with quiet sincerity. "There is nothing you can do that will cause me to forget that. I will always offer a hand first and a fist second. Remember that the decision will always be yours." His thoughts turned inward for a moment, to Kuroshi, to the deal he had made on a beautiful, snowy night that seemed like so long ago. "There may come a time when I am no longer here to rein you in. But until then, know that I will work to stop you ... as much for your sake as anyone else's. I'm going to buy you time to defeat the monster."

"Then I am exhausted for you," Kanaye sighed, shaking his head as his hand dropped from his sword.

Inutaisho gave a casual shrug of his shoulders, easy smile returning. "Your greatest ally and enemy all in one. It certainly uncomplicates things, doesn't it?"

"That just means I'm allowed to like you while I'm wrecking that smug face," Kanaye muttered, moving onward toward his wing of the house. He stopped suddenly, as though considering something, and turned his black armor-clad body toward Inutaisho once more. "You never answered for yourself. Just what do _you_ live for?"

Inutaisho's answer was instant and honest. "I live for you. For Mother. For Sesali and Kaia. I live for Seiya and Lien and Jianyu. And, just as importantly, for the ones we lost." He paused, focusing intently on the face that looked so much like his own. "Do you see the difference, Kanaye? That's where you and I differ ... and _I_ am the one who is able to sleep at night."

"Shovel that bullshit elsewhere," Kanaye sneered as he began to walk away once more. "I share a wing with you and_ that _is the greatest challenge in my life. Seiya has to walk past my room to reach yours, you know. Sleep is what you do the_ least_ in there."

"Good _night_, Kanaye," Inutaisho called emphatically, fangs gritting together.

"Not as good as yours!" came the distant retort, followed by the sound of a shutting door and the blessing of silence.

* * *

Seiya was waiting for him when he returned, giving off her own mesmerizing glow in the darkness, jewel-like eyes flashing with a warmth she best displayed when she was alone with him. It was like she fundamentally changed with her wardrobe, from the graceful, combat-ready princess to the soft, silk-clad girl who made him impatient for the moon to rise and shut out the rest of the world. Every movement she made was unintentionally seductive to him and he found himself watching her at every opportunity throughout the day, like some hopeless boy enraptured by a goddess from one of the ancient Greek tales Kanaye used to repeat for Sesali.

Day was gone and she was his again. She moved to reinforce that, greeting him with soft lips and that clean, soul-scrubbing smell that had him pressing his nose into her skin, inhaling her, fingers threading through the silvery-gold softness of free-flowing hair. She allowed the silk kimono to fall and then his hands were full of soft, warm skin and the reminder of how deceptively delicate she appeared even though she was also nothing less than an instrument of precision, honed and skilled. He quickly became frustrated with his continued state of dress and removed his hands from her long enough to solve the issue, exhaling a calming breath at the pleasant heat of skin-to-skin contact.

"Seiya ...," he said quietly, watching as her eyes rose to his, "your father asked me about us."

Her lips drew upward in a faint, secretive smile as her body remained firmly against his. "In a house full of youkai, it's all but impossible to be discrete. He has spoken to me as well." She closed her eyes languidly as his fingers continued to move lightly through her hair. "He knows he will lose me to Japan. I have to do what I can to resecure his status with the humans before then."

He answered her smile with one of his own. "Always a step ahead of me. I haven't even asked you yet."

"Why would you need to?" she asked with her usual forwardness. "I see the way you look at me. I see how you are looking at me now, as though you would literally consume me if it were possible without exhausting your supply."

He laughed lowly, pressing his lips against her pale forehead. "You know me well. I've been as close to you as it is physically possible to be, and it's never enough."

"If I know anything with certainty, it's that you have to return to reclaim what you lost ... and that you will not leave my side. There is only one solution for that."

"That is what I need to discuss with you," he said very seriously, reaching out to cup her face between his hands. "You once told me that you would be important to me, but it's beyond that. You've become integral to my life, threaded into every piece of me, but you will not return with me to reclaim the west."

Her face settled into that familiar, dispassionate expression. "Why would you reject my help?"

"It's not rejection, Seiya," he whispered, so keenly aware of how close she was. "Those of us that lost the west will be the ones to reclaim it ... or to lose it for a final time. I'm waiting for Kanaye to stabilize. I'm waiting for Sesali to grow and prepare. When that happens, we will finish what happened at Ayakami. But for everything and everyone we lost, it has to be done in that way for it to feel completely ours again." He leaned in, warm lips brushing against her softer ones, an expression of love and apology. "You bought us time to heal and provided us with a sanctuary. You are my future, you're what I will earn if I win. When the time is right, I'm going to go back and do the impossible and I need that motivation. Do you understand?"

She was silent for a long moment, liquid eyes boring into his as though wanting to argue it further, but then he saw her relent in both expression and posture. "You are a stubborn man. Fine, then you have my word that I will not interfere; I won't cross into Japan again until you are the western lord once more. Reclaim your lands when you're ready, Inutaisho-sama."

He pulled her in tightly, enjoying the feel of her body molded into his, a perfect, exacting fit. "I'm reclaiming it for all of us ... and there is no one better suited to rebuild it with me than you."

* * *

_So ... yeah ... I had to break this into two. This chapter was on pace to become almost double the size of the others, so for the sake of pacing and my sanity, I broke it. I'm about to send them back into some crazy stuff, so I consider this a sort of "pause" to establish where they all are before I throw them back out to sink or swim again. :) Plus, I had to climb back into Kanaye's head, which I haven't done in 5 years. That's usually me just sitting at the screen thinking, "What is the most inappropriate thing for him to do or say? Ok, there we go." I should still be able to reconnect with Sesshoumaru and the others in the "present" at the end of the next chapter._

_To the Reviewers:_

**_Anon: _Thanks! It's totally weird to be back, but I really just needed to get some completion here. Every time I'd think back to this story, I'd get annoyed that it wasn't finished. :)**

_**Like Stars in Twilight: **_**Wow, you are very, very kind. Thank you! The funny part is that I look back at Reflected Past and I almost feel the urge to delete it...lol. It was written so long ago. It really was the very first full story I had ever written. I'm tempted to go back some time and give it a "treatment" that makes it mesh better with my current writing style, but I'm kind of wondering if people might yell at me. :) Those stories represent a really fun time in my life; I got to delve into some of my favorite anime characters, work on my writing, and interact with some really neat people on this site. :)**

**_LustChantay:_ Honestly, I really did not expect this trilogy to be updated, either. ;) But I'm someone who likes to complete things, so it was uncharacteristic of me to drop it. That would not have happened at all, if I hadn't been so completely whipped by the computer crash that obliterated so much of it. I work on my own original stuff now, but I can see characters that were partially formed through my efforts in these stories ... which would remind me of these stories ... which would remind me that Serpent's Curse was still unfinished. And, well ... here I am. :)**

**_MiaHoneyDo:_ Good to see you and thanks for the encouragement! I think people will be satisfied with the ending ... I am, at least. We will see. Right now I have to dig my way back to the main story or risk being stuck in the past for 15 chapters ... -_-**

**_Ghost140:_ Another reviewer name I recognize. :) Glad to hear you're doing well! And believe me, I was probably about as surprised as you were. This is just bizarre. It's like traveling back in time. I followed the ending of the series, but I haven't sat down and watched an episode in forever. I've got to before I try to go back to writing the current characters. Haha ... thanks for that about Seiya. I figure if she's Sesshoumaru's mom (Obviously, as far as canon, she is not ... but in my stories she is because there was no "mom" for him when I started building all of this) she's gotta be pretty badass, so she can handle the hot-headed boys in this story with no problem. She's fun to write. =)**

**_Midnight Lady: _Hi, good to see you! Thanks for the nice words. =) Honestly, Inuyasha has been done for so long and this fic has been sitting unfinished for so long, I wasn't even sure if anyone who had ever followed it was still around, but I've been seeing some familiar faces. It's been nice seeing you guys again. :)**

**_llpando:_ 7 years ... yeah, you know, I think next year it will be 10 since I started Reflected Past. Crazy. I was such a kid back then. :) Thanks about the characters. I love doing characterization and finding indirect ways of exposing traits or flaws or feelings. Fuuuun stuff. I know, super nerdy, but I accept that it's a weird hobby. ;) But it's also the reason I get carried away and turn a 2-chapter flashback into a 4-chapter flashback. I want to make sure it's quick enough, but not so quick I miss out on doing all right by the characters. Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**_Lifestyle_: Haha! Yeah, I thought about that when I updated this thing. I imagined people who haven't been to this site in years getting that random update and being like: What the **** is this...?" :) As for rereading the stories ... that almost makes me cringe...lol. I can't look at RP right now. It makes me want to revise the hell out of it. War's Shadow I can still read without reaching for the delete button. (The formatting is screwed on both of those, btw. I don't know why. must have done something while I was gone) Serpent's Curse is mostly fine, although there's some stuff I would do to it, too. But...I'm one of those people who would probably get into an endless loop of revisions if I ever started. I couldn't get the art links to work, unfortunately (it acts like it's a broken link even when I play with it...weird). But I do definitely love good artwork. In fact, that reminds me, I haven't been over to deviantart in a while... Anyway, thanks for the reviews. :)**


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